COLUMBUS, Ohio – New state data suggests that Ohio is becoming a haven for women in states with restrictive abortion laws, a turnabout for a state that briefly had one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country but last year enshrined abortion rights in its state constitution.
A total of 22,000 abortions were induced in Ohio last year, with 12.6% performed for women who reside in other states, according to the Ohio Department of Health’s annual abortion report.
The number out-of-state abortions induced in 2023 is over twice as high as in previous years.
Fifty-seven percent of Ohioans voted for the abortion rights amendment on Nov. 7, 2023, protecting it generally until fetal viability. That same year, several states lost abortion rights, including neighboring Indiana on Aug. 1, 2023.
The U.S. Supreme Court, in a decision known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, ruled June 24, 2022, that abortion was an issue to be decided by individual states. The decision spawned an ever-changing landscape across the U.S. of court orders and citizen ballot issues legalizing and banning abortion rights.
The most recent state to see a change was Georgia on Monday, when a judge struck down an anti-abortion law. On Nov. 5, a handful of states have abortion on the ballot, including Florida, where over 80,000 abortions are performed each year.
In Ohio, hours after the Dobbs decision, a judge permitted the so-called “heartbeat” abortion ban to go into effect, prohibiting abortion as soon as fetal cardiac activity is detected, usually around six weeks and before many women know they’re pregnant. The ban lasted 66 days, and resulted in many Ohio girls and women seeking care outside the state, including a 10-year-old girl sexual assault victim who went to Indiana for an abortion. Ohio’s 2022 abortion report data is skewed because of the 66 days in which virtually no abortions were induced in the state.
In recent years in Ohio:
-2023: 22,000 total abortions; 12.6% for out-of-state residents
-2022: 18,488 total abortions; 7% for out-of-state residents
-2021: 21,813 total abortions; 5% for out-of-state residents
-2020: 20,605 total abortions; 5.7% for out-of-state residents
-2019: 20,102 total abortions; 5.9% for out-of-state residents
The specific states women traveled from to Ohio for an abortion were not listed in the report.
The majority of abortions last year were early in pregnancy. About 61% of women who ended their pregnancies in 2023 were less than nine weeks pregnant. That tracks with national statistics and previous years in Ohio: 66.5% (2022); 60% (2021); 62% (2020); and 61% (2019).
Another 25.9% of abortions last year in Ohio were performed at nine to 12 weeks, which is the end of the first trimester.
Among the ages reported of the women who received an abortion last year:
-Under age 18: 601 abortions performed
-18 to 19: 1,331
-20-24: 6,335
-25-55: 13,712
Black women had the most of abortions last year, accounting for 9,655, followed by white women, 8,954. The report said 932 were more than one race, 595 were Asian or Pacific Islanders and 65 women were American Indian. The race of nearly 1,900 women was not reported or not known.
Geographically, Cuyahoga County saw the most abortions performed last year: 27.8%. In addition to the county having a high population, Cuyahoga County has three clinics: Pre-Term Cleveland, Planned Parenthood in Bedford Heights and Northeast Ohio Women’s Center in Shaker Heights.
Elsewhere:
-19.5% of the 2023 abortions were induced in Montgomery County, which is near the Indiana border and where Women’s Med Center of Dayton is located.
-16.4% each for Summit County, where the Northeast Ohio Women’s Center in Cuyahoga Falls is located; Franklin County, with a Planned Parenthood in Columbus and Your Choice Healthcare of Columbus; and Hamilton County, where a Planned Parenthood is in Cincinnati.
-3.6% in Lucas County, with Toledo Women’s Center.
The report didn’t identify which clinics or hospitals performed the abortions.
Kellie Copeland, executive director of Abortion Forward, the abortion rights organization formerly known as Pro Choice Ohio, said the higher number of women traveling to Ohio last year shows how harmful abortion bans can be.
“Every American deserves access to a trusted abortion provider in their own community, and when government fails them by banning it in one state, it’s incredibly important for providers in neighboring states to step in and make sure care is accessible,” she said. “Thanks to Ohio voters and the dedicated staff at clinics across our state, we are now a safe haven for the 1 in 3 women who now live in a state where abortion is banned or severely restricted.”
Mike Gonidakis, president of Ohio Right to Life, the anti-abortion organization, said it will work with its partners across the state to advance innovative solutions to help women have and raise their children in a safe environment.
“The number of women traveling to Ohio to have an abortion has doubled, which has led to the spike in the number of total induced abortions in our State,” he said. “Ohio, sadly, is becoming a destination state for aborting babies.”
Laura Hancock covers state government and politics for The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com.
