Abortion Providers Relocate to State Borders Following the Reversal of Roe v. Wade
In the weeks since the Supreme Court overturned Roe and dismantled federal abortion protections, conservative states have begun enforcing bans on the procedure. Now, reproductive health providers have started leaving those states, working to open new outposts for abortion on the borders in nearby states that appear likely to maintain access. Providers hope the new clinics can help serve the surge of patients now expected to travel for abortions.
Strategic Clinic Relocations to Border States
Several major organizations have already initiated plans to move their operations. Whole Woman’s Health announced plans to close its four Texas abortion clinics and open one in neighboring New Mexico. Similarly, CHOICES, based in Memphis, Tennessee, is opening a clinic in Carbondale, Illinois, which is the closest state expected to protect abortion rights.
Other notable relocations include:
- Red River Women’s Clinic: Formerly North Dakota’s sole abortion clinic, it is planning to relocate across the river to Minnesota.
- Jackson Women’s Health Organization: The Mississippi clinic at the center of the Supreme Court case is moving to Las Cruces, New Mexico — just 20 minutes from the Texas border.
- Planned Parenthood: Establishing a presence in Las Cruces and working to open a new clinic in Ontario, Oregon, to serve patients leaving neighboring Idaho.
Summary of Clinic Relocations
| Organization | Original State | New Border Location |
|---|---|---|
| Whole Woman’s Health | Texas | New Mexico |
| CHOICES | Tennessee | Carbondale, Illinois |
| Red River Women’s Clinic | North Dakota | Minnesota |
| Jackson Women’s Health Organization | Mississippi | Las Cruces, New Mexico |
| Planned Parenthood | Idaho (service area) | Ontario, Oregon |
Challenges in Capacity and Access
The pattern reflects a growing reality: About a dozen states will soon be tasked with providing the majority of the nation’s abortions, per an analysis by the Guttmacher Institute. However, in those states, there aren’t enough clinics to provide care for everyone in need. “There’s no way the existing providers in New Mexico can accommodate that kind of volume of need,” said Amy Hagstrom Miller, CEO of Whole Woman’s Health.
Wait times for abortion appointments have increased to two to three weeks from one to two days. At the CHOICES clinic in Illinois, it will take another three to six months before they have new staff trained to do the surgical procedures required for second-trimester abortions. Consequently, there will be people who have the ability and resources to travel for an abortion and are going to have a very hard time finding an appointment because the clinics are already at capacity.
The Impact on Patients and Reproductive Care
When abortion clinics close, low-income people will also lose access to other reproductive care. Pre-Roe abortion bans are cutting off access — even laws that aren’t supposed to be in effect. Furthermore, the journey to border clinics will be expensive. For many, the transition has been marked by dismay, confusion, and dread.
In Houston, Ivy, a supervisor at the Houston Women’s Clinic, went to work each day knowing that it might be her last. On the day of the decision, as patients began arriving, the dominant concern was whether the ultrasound would determine that they were barred from receiving an abortion in Texas. At 9:11 A.M., the news arrived: “Roe, overturned.” Moments after learning that the Supreme Court had dismantled federal protections, staff reacted immediately to the end of a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion.