Out-of-state women and girls who traveled to Indiana for abortions more than tripled in 2022, the Indy Star reported, citing state Health Department data.
The newly released annual Indiana Department of Health Terminated Pregnancy Report found that the number of abortions performed in Indiana increased 13.3 percent from 2021, as 9,529 babies were aborted.
According to the report:
After the U.S. Supreme Court released its Dobbs v. Jackson decision in June 2022, Indiana abortion providers said the state became a refuge for people from Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee seeking abortions. While Indiana was the first state to pass a near-total abortion ban post-Dobbs, courts issued temporary injunctions that have so far prevented it from taking effect here.
Out-of-state women and girls comprised 19.2 percent of total abortions performed in the state last year, Health Department data show. That percentage is “an overwhelming increase from previous years.” In 2021, there were 5.5 percent out-of-state abortion seekers, and 4.9 percent were nonresidents in 2020, the report states.
Residents from Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee comprised the majority of out-of-state abortion seekers, data show. Kentucky residents accounted for 950 abortions, Ohio residents accounted for 611, and Tennesseans accounted for 102 abortions in 2022. All three states have stronger restrictions than Indiana or had stronger restrictions in 2022. A heartbeat bill in Ohio is currently blocked in court.
“But after the Indiana Supreme Court issued a ruling last month upholding the near-total abortion ban in one of two legal challenges, local abortion advocates say the state’s position as an abortion resource is certain to shift,” the report continued.
Data show the number of abortions has tapered off in the first quarter of 2023, according to the report. Between January and March, 1,927 babies were aborted in the state, which is the lowest number recorded in the same period since 2014.
In the first three months of 2022, 2,286 babies were aborted, as were 2,251 in 2021 and 2,049 in 2020.