Significant Increase In Women Traveling To States Where Abortion Is Legal: Report

One month after the Supreme Court decision to overrule Roe v. Wade, a significant rise has been recorded in the number of women from states where abortion ban is in force traveling across the border seeking reproductive healthcare services in other states where the procedure is legally allowed.

The National Abortion Federation, which operates the largest national, multi-lingual abortion hotline in the U.S., reported a 5100 percent increase in plane or bus trips and a 1400 percent increase in hotel room bookings in the month following the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court.

The NAF Hotline Fund supports patients with provider referrals, case management services, and financial assistance to help them afford the cost of care and travel-related expenses.

The Supreme Court’s June 24 decision to end the constitutional right to abortion by overturning Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs case will gut abortion access in half of the states and have a devastating impact on those in need of essential abortion care in many parts of the country.

While this ruling does not make abortion illegal, 26 states are poised to ban abortion in the absence of Roe. At the same time, a number of states are working to protect and expand abortion access, and some abortion providers have been preparing for an influx of patients to these states.

In an Executive Order that he signed at the first meeting of the interagency taskforce Wednesday, President Joe Biden directed the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to consider action to advance access to reproductive healthcare services, including through Medicaid to help women seeking abortions to travel between states to obtain access to the procedure.

Source: Read Full Article