Rise in number of women seeking abortion care in Massachusetts after Dobbs

Key takeaways:

• Abortions performed in Massachusetts increased by 6.2% over the expected number after Dobbs.
• Researchers noted a 37.5% increase in the number of abortions for out-of-state residents vs. expected.

After the Dobbs decision in June 2022, the number of women traveling to Massachusetts for abortion care increased even though neighboring states did not have abortion restrictions, researchers reported in JAMA Network Open.

Currently, Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts provides more than 50% of abortions in the state, the researchers wrote.

“Initial reports after Dobbs found that interstate travel for abortion increased, likely resulting in increased costs and logistical burdens for many individuals. Increases in interstate travelers have primarily occurred in permissive states neighboring areas with increased restrictions or new bans,” Brianna Keefe-Oates, MPH, a PhD candidate in the department of social and behavioral sciences at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and colleagues wrote. “Given the large and increasing number of people traveling for abortion, states not neighboring low- or no-access areas may also experience increases in out-of-state patients.”

Keefe-Oates and colleagues conducted a retrospective analysis of electronic medical records of 45,797 abortions performed from January 2018 to October 2022 at Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts. Researchers used previously published time-series methods and estimated the expected number of abortions before and after Dobbs. Researchers then compared observed abortion counts after Dobbs with expected counts had Dobbs not occurred and charitable funding among in- and out-of-state residents who received abortion care in Massachusetts..

Overall, 44,153 abortions occurred among in-state residents and 1,538 occurred among out-of-state residents. During the first 4 months after Dobbs, most women undergoing an abortion in the state traveled from other New England states, but some were from states with increased abortion restrictions, such as Florida and Texas.

Researchers observed a 6.2% increase in the total number of abortions performed above what was originally expected after Dobbs. Throughout this period, there was an estimated 37.5% increase in the number of abortions performed for out-of-state residents.

The estimated percentage of in-state residents who received abortion funding increased from 1.9% before Dobbs to 3.1% after. However, the estimated percentage of out-of-state residents receiving funding had a higher increase, from 8.4% to 18.3% (P = .01).

“As new data become available, methods like ours may promptly identify areas with changing patient needs,” the researchers wrote. “This may help the abortion service infrastructure adapt to the new legal landscape and provide supportive, prompt access for all patients seeking abortion regardless of their state of residence.”