A significant shift in abortion access patterns is underway across the United States, according to new research from the Guttmacher Institute. The latest data indicates that women in states with abortion bans are increasingly turning to telehealth services for medication abortions rather than undertaking interstate travel for the procedure.
The comprehensive report, published Tuesday, reveals that approximately 91,000 women residing in the 13 states with near-total abortion bans received abortion pill prescriptions through telehealth channels in 2025. This figure represents a striking increase of more than 25% compared to the 72,000 prescriptions documented in 2024.
Concurrently, the research demonstrates a corresponding decline in cross-state travel for abortion services. The number of women journeying from restrictive states to those with more permissive laws dropped from 74,000 in 2024 to approximately 62,000 in 2025. Nationwide, the total number of individuals traveling for abortions decreased to 142,000 last year, down from 170,000 in 2024 and continuing a downward trend from 154,000 in 2023.
Research authors Isaac Maddow-Zimet and Kimya Forouzan emphasized that these combined statistics indicate a fundamental transformation in how individuals access abortion care in states with complete bans. The dramatic rise in telehealth utilization coincides with the implementation of protective “shield laws” in eight states—California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Maine, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington—which safeguard healthcare providers from prosecution by states where abortion remains illegal.
Despite the patchwork of state-level restrictions implemented following the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn federal abortion protections, the national abortion rate remains remarkably stable. The report notes that recorded abortions in 2025 exceeded 1.12 million, maintaining levels consistent with 2024 and representing the highest rate documented since 2009.