COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) – Recent data estimates out-of-state travel for abortion services has more than doubled in the United States since 2019, finding over 3,000 patients crossed the border into Ohio for the procedure last year.
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, 14 states have enacted total bans on abortion. This has resulted in out-of-state abortions significantly increasing, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights. The organization receives data from abortion providers across America monthly.
A study by the institute found that over 1 million clinician-provided abortions took place in 2023 in states without a total ban — the highest number in the U.S. in over a decade. Of those, 171,000 patients traveled out-of-state to receive abortion services last year, compared with 73,100 in 2019, the institute states.
Most traveling patients went to the next closest state that allowed abortions. Those in the South, where 13 states banned or restricted the procedure, often had to travel across multiple state lines.