One Year After Dobbs, Getting an Abortion Is Now Much More Expensive
The average cost of traveling for care is now well over $1,000
State-by-state abortion bans mean people live an average of 275 miles further from a clinic than they did a year ago.
Photographer: Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
While the long-term consequences of the end of Roe v. Wade could take years to tally, one outcome is already clear: a year after the Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to abortion, the costs associated with ending a pregnancy have soared.
The Brigid Alliance, which provides logistical support to people seeking abortion care, estimates that the average cost of traveling for care has increased 41% since the first half of 2022, when it was just over $1,000. The average spend for patients that need to fly has jumped 17% to $994; while a hotel stay — usually three nights — is up 29% to $919, according to the group.
Though inflation accounts for some of the increase, state-by-state abortion bans mean people live an average of 275 miles further from a clinic than they did a year ago, according to Caitlin Myers, a researcher at Middlebury College. In Texas, the average drive to a clinic increased to 499 miles in March from 43 miles a year earlier, adding up to about $131 extra in gas for a round trip.