Piecing it Together: The Many Critical Sources of Financial and Practical Support for Abortion Travel

We sought to understand experiences with financial and practical support among individuals traveling to Illinois for abortion post-Dobbs. Understanding the role of support in abortion travel is important given recent state policy efforts to create legal risks for those who help people obtain abortions out-of-state.

We conducted semistructured narrative interviews between March and September 2024 with people who traveled from other states to obtain an abortion in Illinois. Interview transcripts were coded and analyzed to identify emergent themes.

Twenty-nine participants completed interviews, with most seeking abortion at or before 10 weeks' gestation and traveling more than 2 hours one way. Participants combined financial assistance from funds and clinics with practical support from partners, family, and friends to make a timely appointment that fit their needs for care. Types of support included the following: researching laws and clinics, making appointments, paying for travel and medical care, providing transportation and lodging, and offering childcare. Most participants described having someone accompany them to their appointment or stay with them during a medication abortion at home, sometimes taking off work to do so. Participants reported that without support they might have delayed care, put off paying rent or buying groceries, or continued the pregnancy.

People traveling out-of-state for abortion care rely on piecing together financial and practical support from abortion funds, clinics, and their social networks to enable abortion travel. Laws seeking to create legal risks for providing such assistance threaten the sources of support that allow for abortion access.