Availability of and travel to later abortion services post-Dobbs
Abortion
Awarded 2023
Later abortion service delivery, post-Dobbs
Nancy Berglas, DrPH
University of California, San Francisco
$50,000

Access to abortion in the second and third trimester of pregnancy has become increasingly complex since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in June 2022. With even fewer facilities offering later abortion services and more dispersed across the country than before, pregnant people are faced with traveling considerably farther distances for an abortion. Yet the specific changes to the landscape of later abortion services are not clear, limiting the ability to develop concrete strategies to mitigate the disruptions to service delivery. In this study, we aim to document changes in the availability of and travel to later abortion services since Dobbs. We utilize ANSIRH’s Abortion Facility Database, which systematically tracks trends in the locations and services of abortion facilities and is unique in its inclusion of facility-reported gestational limits. Specifically, we aim to: 1) Document trends in the number and proportion of facilities that report providing abortions after 13 weeks and after 24 weeks gestation; 2) Use GIS analysis tools to calculate changes in travel distance and time since Dobbs; and 3) Identify locations where extended gestational limits – through changes to clinical practice or state law – would have the greatest impact on reducing travel distance and time to later abortion. This study will provide important data to providers, policymakers, advocates and journalists that can inform evidence-based decision-making, drive policy change, and shape strategies for increasing access to later abortion care.