The number of women traveling by bus or plane for abortions has increased by 5,100% since the Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, according to the National Abortion Federation.
The report comes the same day President Joe Biden signed an executive order directing the Department of Health and Human Services to make it easier for women seeking abortions to travel between states for the procedure.
From June 24 through July 25, the NAF — the country's largest abortion hotline — paid for 76 hotel rooms and booked 52 trips by plane or bus for women to obtain an abortion. In 2021, the NAF paid for just five hotel rooms and one plane or bus trip.
NAF has also offered financial support for more than 3,500 abortion procedures thus far in 2022.
''More people are being forced to travel now than ever before,'' Veronica Jones, NAF's chief operating officer, said in a statement.
''While it's great that we've been able to help a large number of people travel to states where abortion care is permitted, the reality is that these trips can be incredibly challenging, especially since the majority of those who seek abortions already have children that need to be looked after, and many don't have jobs that allow them to take time off.
''And for abortion seekers who are undocumented, traveling at all can put their livelihoods at risk. The truth is, abortion bans are intended to make accessing care burdensome, and even with financial assistance, some people will still be denied the abortion care they need.
''Until we restore abortion rights for everyone and remove the burdens that made accessing abortion care difficult even before Roe was overturned, there will always be people without access to the care they want and need.''
Abortion is illegal or heavily restricted in at least 12 states since the Supreme Court's historic decision.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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