The Guttmacher Institute is the source of the following information.
An abortion rights group has estimated that over 10,000 individuals from Tennessee traveled across state borders to seek an abortion in the previous year.
Following the implementation of bans or restrictions on abortions in almost half of the US, including Tennessee, the Guttmacher Institute has initiated comprehensive monitoring of interstate travel for abortions. The institute gathered data from various abortion providers for their report.
Since August 2022, Tennessee has enforced a near-total ban on abortion. The state’s law does not make any exceptions for rape or incest and only allows very limited exceptions for specific medical emergencies.
According to the institute’s report, last year, Tennessee residents received 10,570 abortions in other states, with 7,120 of them traveling to Illinois, 1,280 to North Carolina, and 880 to Virginia.
According to records, Californian clinics performed 220 abortions for Tennessee residents, while Georgia clinics performed 950, and South Carolina clinics performed 120.
Across the country, a staggering number of 171,000 patients sought abortions outside of their home states.
Last year, medication abortion made up 63% of all pregnancy terminations. This procedure is often available through telemedicine in other states, eliminating the requirement for an in-person office visit.
In Tennessee, telehealth abortions are prohibited by law. This legislation has raised concerns about the legal consequences for doctors who prescribe abortion pills to patients in Tennessee from outside the state. As a result, it is possible that some Tennesseans are traveling out of state to obtain these services.
