(Bloomberg) -- Abortions carry “catastrophic” costs for more than two-in-five Americans who get them, and it’s significantly worse for those who must travel out-of-state for access, according to a new study.
The total cost of an abortion for residents of California, Illinois and New Mexico who didn’t need to travel to get one was $411, and rose to $1,367 for those coming from out-of-state, according to the report in JAMA Network Open. The figures included the price of the procedure and related costs like travel, accommodation and lost wages.
The study, conducted before the US Supreme Court ended federal abortion protections in 2022, shows the procedure carries both financial and psychological burdens that may be under recognized. High out-of-pocket costs contributed to mental health symptoms such as anxiety and depression, the researchers from New York University and the University of California, San Francisco, found.
They considered the price to be catastrophic when out-of-pocket costs were so high that the household couldn’t afford other basic needs. That was the situation for 32% of those seeking a local abortion and 65% of those who traveled for access, based on surveys done in 2019 with 675 people, the researchers said.
The Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned the constitutional right to abortion has exacerbated the financial stress. Currently, around 25 million women ages 15 to 44 live in states where there are more restrictions on abortion than before the ruling.
“The financial and psychological burdens of abortion seeking have likely worsened after the Dobbs decision, as more people need to cross state lines to reach abortion care,” the researchers wrote. “This increase is found particularly in states bordering those with abortion bans, such as Illinois and New Mexico — two states where our data were collected.”
The number of people traveling for abortions is already on the rise. In the first half of 2023, it more than doubled to 92,100 from three years earlier, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
The election of Donald Trump as US president could have a further impact. While he previously took credit for overturning Roe v. Wade, he changed his approach in recent months and said he would veto a “federal abortion ban.” Leaving the decision to states would allow the discrepancy in access to abortion across the country to continue.
The researchers said the burdens can be devastating for households, triggering high levels of financial insecurity, debt, worsened health outcomes and increased impoverishment.
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