More than 150,000 people traveled out of state for an abortion last year, with Texans alone making up roughly a fifth of that number, according to a recent report.
That is a slight drop from the more than 170,000 people who traveled out of state for the procedure in 2023, according to the report from the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health and rights group.
More than 28,000 Texans crossed state lines in 2024 to receive abortion care, with many traveling to states as far away as New York, Washington, Maryland and Michigan. These Lone Star State residents traveled to a total of 14 states to receive the care last year, with most visiting nearby states like New Mexico, Colorado and Kansas, according to the report.
Abortion has been almost entirely banned in Texas since 2021. Now, the procedure is only permitted to save the life of a pregnant patient, with violators subject to life in prison, loss of licensure, or fines of up to $100,000.
The law is confusing and vague, health care workers say, causing some to forgo providing life-saving abortions.
The report does not provide details on the logistical, financial or social obstacles the people faced while traveling to receive abortions.
“In addition to travel costs, driving or flying across state lines often requires taking time off work, navigating complex logistics and arranging childcare, not to mention paying for the abortion itself,” wrote Isaac Maddow-Zimet, Guttmacher Institute data scientist and lead author of the study.
The study was released on the third anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade and federal protections for abortion access.
Since then, at least 12 states have almost entirely banned abortion, and another 10 have severely restricted access to it, according to an analysis from the health care policy nonprofit KFF.
