In June 2022, the options Hunts Dismer had in Missouri changed when the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade, which gave Americans a constitutional right to abortion.
Missouri already had severely limited access to abortion, but minutes after the Supreme Court's decision was announced, state Attorney General Eric Schmidt issued an opinion, making the state the first to nearly criminalize abortion. became one of the first states to lift the state's trigger ban. At the same time, the state's last remaining abortion clinic quickly ceased its services. All these events unfolded against the backdrop of Dimar's unexpected pregnancy.
“I took a pregnancy test after my shift at the clinic and found out I was pregnant. Now I have more rights than I did when I went home tonight,” Dimmer told Salon. “That was intense.”
Dismer told Salon that the pregnancy wasn't necessarily unwanted. It didn't just “happen at the right time.” In the end, terminating the pregnancy was the best choice for themselves. But for Dismer, the rapidly changing legal landscape in his home state has changed the calculus of access to abortion care. In addition to knowing where to get services, Dizmer had not planned to get an abortion at the clinic where she worked as a social worker in Illinois, and the support that came with it. For example, Dismer couldn't have someone to drive her to and from the doctor's office for support.
“It imposes shame and stigma on you at what is already the worst time in your life.”
“Because we didn't want anyone else to face the possibility of aiding and abetting an abortion, right?” Demmer said. “Not only was I faced with an unplanned pregnancy and had to decide whether this was a good time in my life to become a parent, what my partner's needs were, and everything else, but also the legal situation. made the decision-making process unnecessarily traumatic.”
Dimer is not alone in feeling the emotional strain of having to travel out of state for an abortion. A 2023 study published in the journal Contraception found that the mental strain of having to travel out of state is a common experience.
“It imposes shame and stigma on people at what is already the worst time in their lives,” said one study participant. Another said, “It was so stressful having to plan the trip and get there and be away from everyone and everything I know.”
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The Dobbs decision allowed states to enact their own laws that severely restricted access to abortion across the country. The Guttmacher Institute says interstate travel for abortion care has increased since Dobbs overturned Roe v. Wade. The institute estimates that 1 in 10 abortion patients traveled out of state for abortion care in 2020, and 1 in 5 abortion patients traveled out of state for abortion care in 2023. I'm guessing.
This week, Kali Lake brushed aside criticism of Arizona's abortion ban, saying, “Even though we have restrictive laws here,” Lake told a concerned crowd that she would spend three hours here and three hours there. But I tried to reassure her that she could go. Then you will be able to get an abortion. ”
However, the reality is not so simple.
As Salon has previously reported, when just one or two states implement near-total abortion bans, shockwaves and ripple effects are felt throughout the maternal health landscape. Many people think it's easy to cross state lines to receive treatment, but doing so places an emotional and financial burden on patients.
Megan Jaffo, executive director of the Chicago Abortion Fund, knows firsthand the challenges people face when traveling across state lines to receive abortion care. Since Dobbs, Illinois has seen an influx of patients from the South. Data from Planned Parenthood Association #WeCount shows that after Dobbs, Illinois saw the biggest increase in out-of-state abortions.
At the Chicago Abortion Fund, Jayfo and her colleagues provide medical referrals and financial assistance to people who face barriers to accessing abortion services. Jayfo stressed that traveling for this treatment is “traumatic”.
“People have 100 percent internalized the challenges they face in receiving care, and can see that as a reflection of the morality of care,” Jyfo says. “Part of our job as an abortion fund is to say, 'It's not your fault that this is so hard. Politicians don't want us to have control over our bodies and how we form and grow families. This is difficult due to the specifications.
“This is difficult by design because politicians want us to have no control over our bodies.”
Then there's the financial element. Jayfo told Salon that it is almost unheard of for insurance coverage to be provided when traveling from a state with limited access to abortion care. Medicaid also does not cover patients who travel out of state for abortions. Jayfo said the average cost of accommodation and other support provided by CAF to patients is $380. The average voucher provided for the procedure itself is he $480. And that's just an average.
Combined with the cost of the flight and hotel in Chicago, it's very easy to spend up to $1,500 or $2,000 on a solo trip, says Jayfo. Remarkably, it's estimated that only one in three Americans can comfortably cover a $400 emergency expense. In many cases, the CAF will also need to help arrange childcare for the patient.
“We literally support people who have to take their children on road trips that are more than 11 hours each way,” Jayfo said. “And that's the way it is, and it's normalized at this point. Childcare is a really big barrier for our clients.”
Dr. Jennifer Kearns, a professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco and a staff physician at Trust Women, an abortion clinic in Kansas, has to travel out of state for abortions. He said he sometimes experiences the burden on others. Medical abortions will also be available.
“For some people, it can take up to 12 hours just to drive to a clinic to get their medication,” Kearns told Salon. “We often hear about how long it took patients to gather all the resources they needed to arrange this trip, but we only see patients who actually show up. “They don't actually see patients who come to the hospital, or they can't take much time off from work, or they can't find someone to watch their children.''
In lawsuits by women who sued Texas and other states because of abortion restrictions that denied them access to adequate medical care during their pregnancies, the story highlights the tremendous burdens and barriers women face when they have to travel out of state. It's clear. A plaintiff suing the state of Texas said she was 15 weeks pregnant when she learned that one of her twins had trisomy 18, a deadly genetic disease, and traveled to Colorado to undergo an elective abortion. I had to go to the doctor's office. The surgery and transportation costs totaled several thousand dollars. said the lawsuit.
Kimberly Inez McGuire, executive director of URGE (Union for Reproductive and Gender Equality), told Salon that this is especially difficult for young people.
“Young people in this country are truly facing extreme economic insecurity,” McGuire said. “They have a hard time finding jobs that pay well, they have a hard time finding jobs with paid sick leave, and depending on the care they need, if they get sick, they have to pay 100% to travel. It may take up to three weeks.I am seeking abortion care.”
Traveling for abortion care can be “transformative” in someone's life, McGuire said.
“People have to decide whether they want to pay rent or buy this very expensive flight ticket,” McGuire said. “There are support networks, but they are never enough. We must end the abortion ban because it uproots people's lives.”