While the number of abortions performed within Texas has plummeted due to the state's near-total ban, the overall number of abortions obtained by Texans has not necessarily decreased. Instead, many Texans are traveling out of state or using telehealth services to access abortion care.
Following the implementation of Texas' restrictive abortion laws, the number of abortions performed within the state dropped dramatically. In 2021, there were approximately 50,000 abortions in Texas. This number fell to 17,000 in 2022 and plummeted to just 40 in 2023. Some months in 2023 saw no abortions performed at all, with state data indicating that there were never more than 10 in a single month.
Despite the steep decline in in-state procedures, many Texans have sought abortions elsewhere. In 2023, over 35,000 Texans traveled out of state for abortions, with New Mexico being a primary destination. Additionally, the use of telehealth services for obtaining abortion pills has increased. By the summer of 2024, about 1 in 10 abortions in the U.S. were via pills prescribed through telehealth to patients in states where abortion is banned.
Nationally, the number of abortions has slightly increased despite more restrictive laws in several states. In 2023, there were approximately 1,037,000 abortions in the U.S., an 11% increase since 2020. This rise is attributed to increased access through telehealth and the willingness of individuals to travel to states where abortion remains legal.
The restrictions have disproportionately affected low-income individuals, people of color, and minors. In 2023, at least 105 Texas minors obtained abortions out of state, including six children under the age of 12. These populations often face greater challenges in accessing out-of-state or telehealth services due to financial, logistical, or legal barriers.
In the new book “After Dobbs: How the Supreme Court Ended Roe but Not Abortion,” law professor David S. Cohen and sociologist Carole Joffe interview 24 people across all different fields in abortion and in different state political environments to uncover how the abortion-providing community and its allies prepared for and then responded to this momentous event.
Taking place across three intervals throughout 2022—pre-Dobbs in early 2022, right after Dobbs, and then six months later—these interviews showcase how nimble thinking on the part of providers, growth and new delivery models of abortion pills, and the never-ending work of those who help with abortion travel and funding have ensured most people who want them are still getting abortions, even without Roe.
Guests:
David S. Cohen is a professor of law at Drexel University's Thomas R. Kline School of Law where he teaches constitutional law, reproductive rights, and sex discrimination and the law. He is on the board of the Women's Law Project and the Abortion Care Network. Before teaching, David was a staff attorney at the Women's Law Project and worked on issues of reproductive rights, LGBT family law, Title IX discrimination, and more.
Carole Joffe is a professor at the Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health at the University of California-San Francisco, and a professor emerita of sociology at the University of California-Davis. She is the author of several books.
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This discussion will be recorded on Monday, April 28, 2025.
