A landmark court ruling was associated with increased travel across state borders for abortion care
1. In a large cohort study, population-level data prior and after the Dobbs v Jackson decision was assessed to evaluate changes in abortion care patterns following implementation of abortion restrictions.
Evidence Rating Level: 1 (Excellent)
Following the 2022 Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, abortion restrictions have significantly altered access to reproductive health care across the United States. This cohort study analyzed 79,433 abortions in North Carolina during the year before and after Dobbs to evaluate changes in out-of-state abortion travel. Following Dobbs, abortions obtained by out-of-state patients increased by 37.5 cases per day (95% CI, 34.5–40.4), while there was no significant increase among North Carolina residents (2.6 cases/day; 95% CI, −3.6 to 8.8). Mean travel distance among out-of-state patients increased from 156 to 258 miles, and median gestational age at abortion increased from 7 to 8 weeks (P<0.001). The largest increases in patients traveling to North Carolina came from Georgia (+5,028%) and Alabama (+24,060%). The increase in travel was particularly concentrated among first-trimester patients and non-Hispanic Black individuals; the ratio of travelers of other racial/ethnic groups to White travelers increased from 2.64 to 3.24. Overall, the findings demonstrate that abortion restrictions following Dobbs substantially shifted abortion care across state borders, increasing both the number and distance traveled by patients and delaying the gestational age at which out-of-state patients obtained care, highlighting the growing logistical burden of accessing abortion services.
Click here to read this study in JAMA Network Open
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