Abortion restrictions force patients to travel long distances for care

State-level abortion restrictions have shifted the landscape of care and the experiences of people traveling for abortion care after the June 2022 Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization Supreme Court decision. A new, qualitative study published JAMA Network Open takes a deeper look at the experiences of people traveling from U.S. states with abortion restrictions or bans to Illinois, a state where abortion remains legal.

Through interviews and surveys with 33 individuals, the paper tells the story of how abortion stigma, information and resource availability, and support are shaping the experiences of people seeking abortion care across state lines. Delays were common and people waited, on average, a month between deciding to have an abortion and getting care. The paper charts the journeys of individuals and includes powerful, anonymous testimonials from the study's participants, such as:

"I took 2 flights coming here by myself. Whatever I've needed to do I've done it by myself, alone. And I left my baby for the first time in my life with a neighbor for three days just to be here. It's a hard situation. Sometimes you don't have money saved to pay to have another person come with you."

-Participant G, from a state with a partial abortion ban

The authors recommend that policy changes should be coupled with increased visibility of accurate information, charitable funding, and abortion stigma reduction.

Abortion bans don't eliminate abortion, they just shift the burden onto patients–especially those who are young, low-income, or from marginalized groups."

Elizabeth Janiak, ScD, senior author, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mass General Brigham