Research Summary:
After the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in June 2022, which overturned Roe v. Wade, the number of abortions provided in the U.S. has grown, rising 11% since 2020 to over 1 million abortions a year. (Cahn & Suter, 2024) Additionally, studies have shown not only an increase in the number of women seeking reproductive care out-of-state but also a marked increase in the distance they are willing to travel for such services. With this dramatic increase, many states have enacted laws that have restricted or banned abortion altogether, while some others have been steadfast in protecting access.
This led me to conduct my research and focus my thesis on better understanding how strong an impact these state travel restrictions may have on women seeking abortions. More importantly, my study and dissertation explore the factors that ultimately influence women in their decision to cross state lines for reproductive care if their state has restrictions on abortion.
Hypothesis:
My initial hypotheses were based on the statistical trends in obtaining an abortion across state lines and in the public opinions toward legal restrictions on abortion. I predicted (1) that a majority of women, regardless of demographic background, would be willing to cross state lines for an abortion if necessary, and (2) that their greatest hesitancy would come from the fear of legal repercussions associated with crossing state borders to access reproductive care. This prediction aligned with data from Pew Research (2024), which showed that a majority of Americans, including 64% of women, believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases.
Data & Methods:
To test my hypotheses, I conducted a survey of students at Indiana University, targeting individuals who are most likely to be affected by abortion laws: those capable of becoming pregnant. More specifically, I was looking for women aged 18-23 with a wide variety of demographics. The survey was designed to collect anonymous responses, ensuring the confidentiality of the respondents. I had 66 participants.
Key Findings:
The respondent population I received was diverse in a multitude of ways, including religious and political affiliation. In terms of religious affiliation, 68% of survey respondents identified that they align themselves with a religion. 35% of the survey respondents were Non-Catholic Christians, while 27% identified as Catholic and 6% identified as Jewish. Notably, only four respondents ranked religious or ethical opposition the strongest when asked how strongly these factors would contribute to their decision to terminate a pregnancy, while the majority of respondents chose religious or ethical opposition as the second to least influential toward their decision.
Additionally, the population from the survey data varied in political affiliation. Of those who responded, 58% aligned themselves with the Democratic Party and 27% aligned themselves with the Republican Party. Through the survey responses, only a percentage of these individuals were strictly opposed to abortion, with only 7% of the survey respondents stating that they would not under any circumstances receive an abortion.
When asked about which factors would influence the individual’s decision to terminate a pregnancy, the most selected factors were the cost of bearing and caring for a child (73%), the impact of pregnancy on physical or mental health (73%), and the health conditions of the fetus (72%). Aside from not being able to become pregnant, which was ranked as the least important factor for a majority of respondents, religious or ethical opposition (35%) and whether abortion is lawful in the individual’s state (28%) were ranked by survey respondents as not influential in their decision to terminate a pregnancy by selecting these factors as their second to last choice on the scale.
However, when subsequently asked to choose which factors would influence the individual’s decision whether to travel across state lines to obtain assistance in terminating their pregnancy, 71% of respondents selected whether traveling out of state to obtain an abortion would be legal as an influential factor. Additionally, 50% of survey respondents chose how far they would have to travel as an important consideration, and 46% of respondents selected that how much it would cost to travel would be an influential factor in making their ultimate decision to travel for reproductive purposes.
Conclusion:
While most respondents ranked the legality of abortion as least influential when considering abortion broadly, they identified it as the most influential factor when deciding whether to travel across state lines for care. This shift may reflect increased feelings of vulnerability when travel introduces legal risks or financial burdens. Regardless, many may still prioritize their health over those risks despite the legal uncertainty.
Reese Wiley is from Indianapolis, Indiana. She studied Law and Public Policy at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. In the fall of 2025, she will be attending Maurer Law School to pursue her Juris Doctor. Her thesis topic was about the intersection of interstate travel on reproductive care in a post-Dobbs world.
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