Some US 🇺🇸 women travel hundreds of miles for abortions, analysis finds

For most women, access to reproductive and sexual health services is crucial to well-being.

A new study highlights the difficulties surrounding access to one aspect of health care -- abortion services -- faced by women in some areas of the United States.

Overall, between 2011 and 2014, the average distance a woman traveled to terminate a pregnancy increased by just 0.2 miles, yet spatial analysis revealed vast differences in miles traveled depending on the state and region where women lived, according to an analysis published Tuesday in The Lancet Public Health journal. 

On average, women in the United States traveled about 11 miles to obtain an abortion in 2014. The distance to obtain an abortion actually decreased in nine states, Guttmacher Institute researchers found.

However, seven states saw an increase during that period, and women in rural areas typically traveled the farthest. In remote regions of South Dakota, for example, women traveled in excess of 330 miles to terminate a pregnancy. 
Overall, the analysis revealed that women across the nation do not have equal access to abortion. 

"Disparities have persisted since at least 2000," said Jonathan Bearak, lead author and senior research scientist at Guttmacher, a research and policy organization. In particular, he said, the disparities persist "between women in urban areas versus rural."

UCJ, UNILORIN.