Abortion Providers Plan to Open Clinics on Borders Near States with Bans
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 Relocation Efforts
Some have had plans in the works for months. Others are only now figuring out where and how to relocate, and what their new presence could look like. For instance, 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, the closest state expected to protect abortion rights.
Other key relocation plans include:
- Red River Women’s Clinic, which was North Dakota’s sole abortion clinic, 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 overturning Roe v. Wade, is moving to Las Cruces, New Mexico — just 20 minutes from the Texas border.
- Planned Parenthood is planning to establish a presence in Las Cruces, too, and is working to open a new clinic in Ontario, Oregon, to serve the patients expected to leave neighboring Idaho in search of abortions.
Provider Relocation Summary
| Organization | Action and Location |
| Whole Woman’s Health | Closing four Texas clinics; opening one in New Mexico. |
| CHOICES | Opening a clinic in Carbondale, Illinois. |
| Red River Women’s Clinic | Relocating from North Dakota to Minnesota. |
| Jackson Women’s Health Organization | Moving from Mississippi to Las Cruces, New Mexico. |
| Planned Parenthood | Establishing presence in Las Cruces, NM and Ontario, OR. |
The Growing Reality of Abortion 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. But in those states, there aren’t enough clinics to provide care for everyone in need. Wait times for abortion appointments have increased to two to three weeks from one to two days.
Before a six-week ban took effect in Texas last fall, about 55,000 abortions were performed in-state each year. Now, both Texans and Oklahomans have limited nearby options. Amy Hagstrom Miller, CEO of Whole Woman’s Health, stated that “there’s no way the existing providers in New Mexico can accommodate that kind of volume of need.”
Operational Capacity and Future Outlook
Multiple abortion providers are looking to open sites in southern Illinois — a change that “will be really helpful,” said Chelsea Souder, whose clinic has seen its patient volume skyrocket. Still, the new clinics won’t be able to fully account for all the people now likely to travel for abortions.
CHOICES, which began scouting for its location in November, plans to open its Illinois clinic in August. At first, it will offer only medication abortions, which are most effective within the first trimester. Jennifer Pepper, the CHOICES executive director, hopes her clinic will be able to treat 4,000 abortion patients in a year — a significant amount, but not enough to absorb all the people who may now turn to Illinois. “There will be people who have the ability and resources and are going to have a very hard time finding an appointment because the clinics are already at capacity,” Pepper said. “We expect to get to capacity very quickly.”
The 19th Explains: Why some trigger laws still aren’t in effect after Roe v. Wade was overturned. When abortion clinics close, low-income people will also lose access to other reproductive care, as pre-Roe abortion bans are cutting off access — even laws that aren’t supposed to be in effect.