Minnesota saw 20% jump in abortions last year, partly due to patients from restrictive states

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota recorded a 20% jump in abortions in 2022, partly because more patients are traveling from states that have banned or limited the procedure since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, according to an annual report released Friday.

The report by the Minnesota Department of Health said more than 16% of the 12,175 abortions performed last year involved women from elsewhere, with 1,714 patients traveling from states bordering Minnesota and 290 coming from distant ones such as Texas. That’s the highest proportion since at least 1980.

And the number of abortions involving women from other states or countries was double the total from 2021, the Star Tribune of Minneapolis reported.

Last year marked a sharp reversal of Minnesota’s gradual decline in abortions since the late 1980s.

Cathy Blaeser, executive director of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, criticized a court ruling last summer that struck down most of the state’s restrictions on abortion, including a parental notice requirement for minors. Lawmakers this year removed other barriers and cut grants for centers that encourage alternatives to abortion, she added.

“This abortion report is just the tip of the increase we are likely to see in the very near future,” Blaeser said.