Midwestern abortion funds on Thursday presented the latest evidence that state-level abortion bans have effects that reach far beyond state borders, with wait times increasing in states friendlier to reproductive healthcare and abortion funds reporting strained resources, making it harder for people throughout the region to obtain care.
The Chicago Abortion Fund reported that, according to a coalition of groups that raise funds for patients in the Midwest, hundreds of Iowans traveled across state lines to get abortion care since the state's six-week abortion ban went into effect last July.
One hundred and thirty state residents have traveled to Minnesota in the last six months to obtain abortions, while 84 have gone to Nebraska and 47 have traveled to Illinois.
Clinics in Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Kansas are reporting longer wait times, with some patients required to wait up to five weeks for their appointments—forcing some Iowans to travel even further, delaying care for both local and out-of-state patients, and likely leaving some patients with no choice but to carry unwanted pregnancies.
"With Omaha sitting right on the Iowa border, we've seen a dramatic increase in the number of Iowans seeking care in Nebraska," said Shelley Mann, executive director of Nebraska Abortion Resources. "Our clinics are already stretched thin, and Iowans are often forced to travel even farther due to limited appointment availability in our state. This is what abortion bans do—they don't stop people from needing abortions, they just make access harder and more expensive."
"This is what abortion funds do: We step up, we organize, and we make sure people get the care they want, need, and deserve."
While clinics across the region are seeing an influx of out-of-state patients, abortion funds are seeing an increase in the support needed by Iowa residents living under the state's abortion ban.
The Chicago Abortion Fund saw a 222% increase in the number of Iowans needing help covering the cost of their procedure, travel expenses, and other practical costs in just one year.
The fund poured $7,139 into practical support for patients in August 2024, the first full month under the ban, compared to $2,536 in June 2024.
The Iowa Abortion Access Fund also reported a 21% increase in Iowans needing help paying for abortion care compared to 2021, before Roe v. Wade was overturned.
Shayla Walker, executive director of Our Justice, an abortion fund in Minnesota, said that since Iowa's abortion ban went into effect, the organization has "been averaging 18 patients a month from Iowa at a total cost of $54,800—before the ban, we averaged around six at a fraction of the cost."
"The reality is abortion bans don't stop people from needing abortions," said Walker, but instead widen "the gap in access and mortality rates among Black, queer, disabled folks, and minimum wage workers."
With the six-week ban in place, Iowa now has only two clinics that provide abortion care—a Planned Parenthood clinic in Ames and the Emma Goldman Clinic in Iowa City. Five clinics provided care before July 2024.
The Guttmacher Institute, which researches abortion care, found in a report published this month that 76% of abortions in Iowa in 2023 were provided with medication rather than surgical procedures.
With the loss of brick-and-mortar clinics across the state, Isabel DoCampo, a senior research associate at the Guttmacher Institute, toldIowa Public Radio Thursday that a rising number of Iowans could seek medication abortions from online-only providers.
"It could be that we see further changes in clinic counts in Iowa, which could place greater importance on telemedicine provision throughout the state as a result of this ban," DoCampo told the outlet.
Meghan Jeyifo, executive director of the Chicago Abortion Fund, said the group will continue to be "nimble and relentless in responding to every new barrier, every policy shift, and every crisis moment."
"In just the last year, we've handled over 16,000 support requests and distributed $5 million in direct assistance, the most in our 40-year history," Jeyifo said. "This is what abortion funds do: We step up, we organize, and we make sure people get the care they want, need, and deserve."
"Abortion funds have always been here, working together across state lines to get people to care," Jeyifo added, "because access to abortion is not just about laws, it's about the people who need care right now. No matter the barriers, we will find a way."
