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Tuesday, June 18th, 2024

171,300 patients traveled out of state for abortions in 2023

Author:     NICK ROBERTSON
Source:     The Hill
Publication Date:     06/16/24 | 5:51 PM ET
 Link: 171,300 patients traveled out of state for abortions in 2023
Stephan:  

This is how distorted and difficult health care has become for women and girls in the 14 states that have banned abortion but who need OB/GYN care to terminate a pregnancy. This is a manifestation of what happens when medical decisions are made by politicians overwhelmed by ideology instead of physicians.

Lauren Miller testified at a hearing called by Democrats to discuss the impact of abortion laws across the country and to promote legislation meant to protect abortion travel. Credit: Screen capture

More than 170,000 women and girls have traveled out of state to receive abortion care since January of last year, according to new data from the Guttmacher Institute, a figure underlined by the increasing difficulty to access care in some states.

Out-of-state care accounted for more than 15 percent of the estimated 1 million clinician-provided abortion procedures between 2023 and March of this year, according to the data. That figure has more than doubled since 2020.

“Traveling for abortion care requires individuals to overcome huge financial and logistical barriers, and our findings show just how far people will travel to obtain the care they want and deserve,” Guttmacher data scientist Isaac Maddow-Zimet said in a statement.

“Despite the amazing resiliency of abortion patients and providers, we can’t lose sight of the fact that this is neither normal nor acceptable,” he continued. “A person should not have to travel […]

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