In-state and out-of-state abortions combined dropped 33% in Sept. 2021 after Senate Bill 8 was implemented in Texas, a new JAMA publication.

New TxPEP research in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that the number of facility-based abortions that Texas residents obtained in Texas and surrounding states declined 33% after the implementation of a state-level ban on abortion in early pregnancy. This study demonstrates how abortion patterns may change throughout the nation as many states have outlawed abortion care after Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022.

Even with more than 1000 Texas residents traveling out of state each month, out-of-state abortions did not fully offset the decrease in abortions in Texas. The total number of abortions remained lower than pre-SB8 levels through February 2022, the end of the study period.

This indicates that many people were:
* forced to travel farther away for care,
* self-manage their abortion, or
* continue a pregnancy they did not want.

Also, during the 6-month period after SB 8, abortions at 12 weeks of pregnancy or more represented a larger percentage of out-of-state abortions for Texans over time, going from 17% in September 2021 to 31% in February 2022. At this point in pregnancy, people require an in-clinic procedural abortion because they are no longer eligible to use the FDA-approved medication abortion regimen.

The study analyzed data from 18 of 23 Texas clinics and 35 of 42 clinics in Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico where Texas residents were most likely to obtain care. Along with Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma have banned abortion care following the June 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

Read more in JAMA