Post-Roe v. Wade, out-of-state visits to Minnesota for abortions increased by 50%, state data show
MINNEAPOLIS — The number of patients coming to Minnesota to get an abortion soared following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, a new state health report with data from 2023 shows.
There were more than 14,000 abortions performed in 2023, a 16% uptick from the previous year when the highest court upended the 50-year-old precedent protecting access across the country. Year-over-year, out-of-state patients increased by 50%, according to the report published this week.
Of all the patients in Minnesota, 1 in 5 traveled from other states. Iowa, the Dakotas and Wisconsin had the most people crossing state lines, but others traveled from as far away as Texas.
"As laws continue to shift and change, we think that the trajectory will continue to grow," said Ruth Richardson, CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States, the largest provider in Minnesota.
The increase comes after lawmakers in the DFL-led legislature two years ago doubled down on abortion rights with a law creating a "fundamental right" to abortion and other reproductive services.
Planned Parenthood and other providers anticipated more demand as other states banned or restricted the procedure. Richardson highlighted that her organization has responded by shoring up services in Minnesota—adding more appointments and expanding access to medication abortion and telehealth options.
Cathy Blaeser, co-executive director of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, said the latest numbers reflect a 20-year high and condemned the state's abortion policy as both an outlier and extreme.
"Gov. Walz and the DFL trifecta wanted Minnesota to become a land not of 10,000 Lakes, but of 14,000 abortions. They are promoting abortion tourism," she said.
She noted that the number of abortions mostly plateaued over the last several years before increasing significantly in both 2022 and 2023. Most abortions in 2023 happened before 20 weeks of pregnancy, the report said.
The Minnesota Department of Public Health by law publishes an annual report with data about abortions in Minnesota, including the age of patients, where they're from and how far along they are in their pregnancy at the time.
The legislature, when it expanded access to abortion two years ago, also changed the law to remove some reporting requirements, like the reason someone sought an abortion and what kind of health insurance she had.
