An effective ban on abortion in Texas has sparked an increase of at least 11-fold in the number of pregnant women travelling across state lines for a termination, research has shown, a sign of the hurdles that have been created by a wave of new restrictions on the procedure.
Between September and December of last year 5,574 women travelled from Texas to abortion clinics in seven nearby states, often undertaking emotionally gruelling, lengthy and expensive journeys by car or plane, according to researchers at the University of Texas. This compares with 514 women in the same period in 2019, the most recent pre-pandemic year.
Now, as multiple Republican-controlled states pass copycat laws aimed at curbing abortion as much as legally possible, pro-choice campaigners warn that more women may soon face similar obstacles.