Virginia sees spike in abortions due to influx of out-of-state patients
Virginia was among the states that saw a substantial increase last year in the number of abortions provided.
That's according to a new report from the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that advocates for access to reproductive care including abortion. The increase is likely due to an influx in patients from states with new or more restrictive abortion bans.
Virginia saw 5,500 more clinician-provided abortions in 2024 than the year before, a 16% increase. That's an outlier compared to the national trend, where there was just a 0.4% increase in states without total bans.
'There was an 86% increase in the number of patients traveling from out of state to Virginia for abortion care between 2023 and 2024, and we think that the Florida ban is likely playing a big role here,' said Guttmacher senior research associate Isabel DoCampo .
Most states without total abortion bans saw small changes to the number of abortions performed between 2023 and 2024. Arizona, California, Kansas, Ohio and Virginia, states that did not change their abortion legislation in the past two years, saw substantial increases. Virginia saw the most significant increase, outpaced nationwide only by Wisconsin, which restored abortion services in the latter half of 2023.
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Virginia is the last state in the Southeast without a ban on abortions after six or 12 weeks of pregnancy — Florida, which previously allowed abortions up to 15 weeks, enacted a six-week ban that took effect May 1, 2024.
'Virginia is the second-closest state for Florida patients to access abortion, and it's the closest place without a waiting period to access abortion,' DoCampo said. 'It's also likely that people in the Southeast who would have traveled for care to Florida are now going to Virginia instead.'
That maps with findings from the Virginia League for Planned Parenthood, which operates clinics in Virginia Beach, Hampton and Richmond.
'Before the Dobbs decision in 2022, the amount of out-of-state patients was 2 to 3% of our entire patient population,' said Planned Parenthood spokesperson Rae Pickett, referencing the Supreme Court decision that stripped away the nation's constitutional protections for abortion . 'After the Dobbs decision, that increased very quickly to 15%. So that was a very large jump. Then, after the six-week abortion ban went into effect in Florida, our numbers went from 15 to 25 to 30% and have stayed there for that period of time.'
Virginia permits abortions during the first and second trimester, or during the third trimester if three physicians agree the pregnancy will lead to the woman's death or substantially harm her health.
VLPP increased same-day and telehealth appointment availability in anticipation of the Florida, as well as the use of patient navigators, who help patients coordinate travel. The Planned Parenthood affiliate operates a virtual clinic via telehealth, but people seeking an abortion pill for up to 11 weeks after their last period must be physically located in Virginia at the time of their appointment, and the medication is mailed to a Virginia address.
'I think the Virginia case shows us that an abortion ban in one place has a dramatic impact on the abortion care infrastructure in other parts of the country,' DoCampo said.
The Virginia Society for Human Life, an anti-abortion advocacy group, described the report as tragic.
'The new numbers suggest a deeply alarming trend,' said Olivia Gans Turner, president of VSHL, in a statement.
Virginia's constitution does not expressly prohibit or protect abortion. That could change: the General Assembly voted this session along party lines to advance a constitutional amendment that would enshrine a right to abortion in the state constitution. If the legislature passes that same resolution next year, the amendment will appear on the ballot for public referendum in 2026.
The state constitutional amendment process excludes input from the governor, but both the Republican and Democrat candidates for governor have taken positions on the issue. Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle Sears, the Republican nominee, spoke at Virginia's March for Life earlier this month.
'All those who are for abortion are already born,' she said. 'We stand for life, and how can it ever be wrong to stand for life?'
Former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger previously voted in Congress in favor of codifying the abortion protections offered in Roe v. Wade.
'Virginia is the last bastion in the South when it comes to protecting reproductive freedom — and the consequences of this reality on women and families are clear,' she said in a statement. 'In the aftermath of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, families across the Commonwealth continue to worry that extreme politicians and judges will rip away their right to privacy, jeopardize their safety, and leave their families without access to medical care.'
Kate Seltzer, kate.seltzer@virginiamedia.com, (757)713-7881
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