Trends in interstate abortion travel to Oregon following the Dobbs court decision

Abstract

Objectives: This study describes how interstate travel for abortion to the state of Oregon changed following the Dobbs decision.

Study design: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using vital statistics data from the Oregon Health Authority of all medical and surgical abortions between 2015 and 2023.

Results: Following the Dobbs decision, 14.3% of abortions in Oregon were out-of-state residents, compared to 9.6% pre-Dobbs. Out-of-state individuals had significantly higher odds of having abortions in the second or third trimester and having a procedural abortion compared to their in-state counterparts.

Conclusions: Following the Dobbs decision, interstate travel to Oregon increased significantly and represents a distinct population.

Keywords: Abortion; Abortion travel; Health care access; Health policy.