It has been two years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, eliminating the federal right to an abortion and delegating the issue to individual states. Since the ruling, at least 14 states, including West Virginia, have enacted laws prohibiting nearly all abortions, with only limited exceptions.
Despite these prohibitions, women in states with restrictive abortion laws continue to seek out the procedure. According to new figures from the Guttmacher Institute, a leading reproductive rights organization, tens of thousands of women are traveling to other states to receive abortions or obtain abortion pills.
Guttmacherβs data reveals that in 2023, 171,000 women traveled out-of-state for abortions—more than twice the number (73,100) who did so in 2019 before the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
A significant number of West Virginia women seeking abortions in 2023 traveled to neighboring states. According to Guttmacher, 820 West Virginia women went to Maryland, 600 to Pennsylvania, 590 to Virginia, and 230 to Ohio. Kentucky, which also has a restrictive abortion law, was not a destination for these women.
West Virginia’s abortion ban has undeniably driven women to seek services in other states. However, it is likely that many would have traveled regardless, as some clinics in surrounding states are closer than West Virginia’s sole clinic in Charleston.
Notably, Guttmacher reports that the number of abortions performed in 2023—the first full year after Roe was overturned—increased by 11% compared to 2020, the last year for which comprehensive estimates are available. This marks the highest number and rate of abortions recorded in the United States in over a decade. The last time over one million abortions were performed in a single year was in 2012.
States that allow abortions and border states with bans saw the largest increases in 2023. Abortions in Virginia increased by 77%, with women traveling from West Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida. Illinois experienced a 71% increase, drawing women from as far away as Texas and Louisiana.
For fifty years, abortion opponents fought to overturn Roe v. Wade, finally succeeding in 2022. Legislators in many states, including West Virginia, swiftly enacted laws to outlaw abortions. However, the data shows that these policies have not stopped abortions; they have merely relocated them to other states.
Additionally, Guttmacherβs data highlights that β63 percent of abortions in U.S. states without total bans were medication abortions in 2023.β
Since the Guttmacher Institute began keeping abortion statistics in 1973, the number of abortions performed annually peaked in the early 1990s at over 1.6 million and has been steadily declining over the last three decades. Despite the shifting legal landscape, the demand for abortion services persists, underscoring the complexity of reproductive health issues in the United States.
Matt Pinner is a dedicated journalist for WVPrepBB.com, specializing in USA and crime news. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for uncovering the truth, Matt brings timely and insightful reporting to his readers. His work on WVPrepBB.com keeps the community informed and engaged with the latest developments in national news and criminal justice.
