Telehealth Abortions Surpass Travel in U.S. Ban States

A new survey from the Guttmacher Institute indicates that in 2025, for the first time since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, more women in the 13 states with total bans on abortion obtained the procedure through telehealth prescriptions for abortion pills than by traveling to states where it is legal. The report, released this week, highlights a shift toward medication abortions sent by out-of-state providers, even as several states enact measures to curb such access.

The survey, based on monthly data from a random sample of U.S. abortion providers and historical records, estimates that national abortions remained stable at around 1,026,000 in 2025, similar to the previous year. In ban states, telehealth abortions reached about 91,000, surpassing interstate travel for the procedure. This trend coincides with fewer women crossing into states like Colorado, Illinois, Kansas and New Mexico for care. The increase stems from federal Food and Drug Administration rules allowing mifepristone, a key abortion pill, to be prescribed remotely, combined with shield laws in pro-access states that protect providers serving patients in restrictive areas.