New Research Shows Travel to Massachusetts for Abortion Increased after Dobbs decision 

BOSTON – New research analyzing abortion patient data at Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts (PPLM) before and after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision concludes that more patients are traveling to Massachusetts from other states for abortion care and that use of non-profit abortion funding in Massachusetts has increased post-Dobbs. The study, published on September 6th in JAMA Network Open, was conducted by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the ASPIRE Center for Sexual and Reproductive Health at PPLM. 

The researchers analyzed 45,797 abortion care records from January 2018 to October 2022 at PPLM and used time series analysis to estimate the expected number of abortions after Dobbs, based on the observed number before. When observed counts were compared to expected counts, there was a 6.2% increase in the total number of abortions at PPLM after Dobbs. Notably, when data were stratified by state of residence, there was a 37.5% increase in the number of abortion patients from out-of-state, which is about 45 additional abortions, after Dobbs. 

“We used rigorous statistical modeling to understand how the number of abortions in the four months after Dobbs compared to the expected counts we predicted. Because of the large historical dataset of over 45,000 abortion patients used, we know that these are real changes and not chance fluctuations. Abortion travel into Massachusetts truly is increasing post-Dobbs, as is the use of abortion funding,” said corresponding author Elizabeth Janiak, ScD, director of social science research at Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts.  

The research also found that more patients, both Massachusetts residents and those traveling from other states, utilized non-profit abortion funding. In-state residents’ use of abortion funding increased slightly, from 2% to 3%, while the proportion of patients who traveled to Massachusetts and used abortion funding increased by nearly 10% post-Dobbs, from approximately 8% to 18%. 

“Abortion costs are already well above the average out-of-pocket medical expenditures and in the post-Dobbs context, interstate travel costs are even higher. In states like Massachusetts, we know the state government as well as advocates and health care providers are very invested in ensuring abortion access,” Janiak said. “We hope the data from this study serves as an example of how states across the country that share this commitment can monitor the trends in and needs of interstate travelers.” 

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Paper cited: Keefe-Oates, B et al. “Use of Abortion Services in Massachusetts After the Dobbs Decision Among In-State vs Out-of-State Residents” JAMA Network Open DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.32400