More Americans are using online-only clinics to have abortions, data show
In-clinic abortion in states without bans on the procedure have remained relatively stable in recent years. There were 1,038,100 clinician-provided abortions in states without abortion bans last year, an increase of less than 1 percent from 2023, according to a report from the reproductive rights group the Guttmacher Institute.
Meanwhile, the portion of abortions in those states that were provided through an online-only clinic has gone up, rising to 14 percent in 2024 from 10 percent in 2023 which translates to an increase of about 40,000 abortions, according to the nonprofit.
The number of medication abortions accessed through an online-only clinic is 'almost certainly higher,' the report notes, since the survey did not take into account the abortions provided in states with bans on the procedure under a shield law provision.
Overall, the country's abortion numbers have remained stable despite numerous state bans on abortions that have been rolled out since the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade.
There are currently 12 states with total abortion bans in effect. Iowa and Florida enacted bans at six weeks of gestation last year that have 'drastically narrowed' the options for abortion access among in-state and out-of-state residents.
Abortion shield laws have been enacted in states where abortion is legal to protect patients and health care providers from civil, criminal and professional consequences for providing abortion care to people who live in states with abortion restrictions.
At least 34,500 medication abortions were provided in the first half of 2024 via a shield law in states where abortion is banned, according to the Society for Family Planning.
The increased use of online-only clinics could be linked to the roughly 9 percent decrease in Americans traveling out of state to receive an abortion.
About 155,000 people crossed state lines for an abortion in 2024 and the year before roughly 169,000 people traveled out of state to receive abortion care, according to the report.
'Where it is available, telehealth provision of abortion can significantly mitigate many of the barriers that patients face when seeking abortion services, such as lowering the costs and time needed to travel to a provider,' a policy analysis released along with the survey reads.
While travel for abortion care has dropped, travel to states with less restrictive abortion policies remains a 'critical pathway' for those seeking abortion care in states with bans or severe restrictions on the procedure, the survey notes. Especially since the overwhelming majority of abortions are still performed in clinics
The four states that offered the most abortions to out-of-state residents in 2024 were the same as in 2023: Illinois, North Carolina, Kansas and New Mexico.
Abortions for out-of-state residents made up 69 percent of all abortions performed in New Mexico in 2024. Illinois provided abortion care to 35,000 out-of-state residents last year or 39 percent of all abortions performed in the state.
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