Abortion Providers Open Clinics on Borders Near States With Abortion 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.
Strategic Relocation to Border States
Abortion providers are trying to open new clinics as close as possible to states with bans. Providers hope the new clinics can help serve the surge of patients now expected to travel for abortions. Some have had plans in the works for months, while others are only now figuring out where and how to relocate, and what their new presence could look like.
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. Amy Hagstrom Miller, CEO of Whole Woman’s Health, noted that “there’s no way the existing providers in New Mexico can accommodate that kind of volume of need.”
Planned Clinic Relocations
The following table summarizes the relocation efforts of several key providers mentioned in the draft material:
| Organization | Original Location | New or Planned Location |
|---|---|---|
| Whole Woman’s Health | Texas | New Mexico |
| CHOICES | Memphis, Tennessee | Carbondale, Illinois |
| Red River Women’s Clinic | North Dakota | Minnesota |
| Jackson Women’s Health Organization | Jackson, Mississippi | Las Cruces, New Mexico |
| Planned Parenthood | Idaho (target area) | Ontario, Oregon |
Impact on Patient Access and Wait Times
Before a six-week ban took effect in Texas last fall, about 55,000 abortions were performed in-state each year. Since September 1, people who traveled out of state largely went to Oklahoma for the procedure — until that state implemented its own total abortion ban in June. Now, both Texans and Oklahomans have limited nearby options.
If these clinics do manage to open, the influx could alleviate some of the strain abortion providers in New Mexico and southern Illinois are facing. Currently, wait times for abortion appointments have increased to two to three weeks from one to two days. Chelsea Souder, whose clinic in Granite City, Illinois has seen its patient volume skyrocket, says the addition of multiple providers in southern Illinois will be really helpful.
Limitations of the New Outposts
Still, the new clinics won’t be able to fully account for all the people now likely to travel for abortions. CHOICES, which plans to open its Illinois clinic in August, will offer only medication abortions at first, which are most effective within the first trimester. It will take another three to six months before they have new staff trained to do the surgical procedures required for second-trimester abortions. Jennifer Pepper, the CHOICES executive director, stated, “We expect to get to capacity very quickly,” noting that there will be people who have the ability to travel but will have a very hard time finding an appointment because the clinics are already at capacity.