New research has found that the number of abortions performed in the second trimester more than doubled in U.S. states that enacted near-total abortion bans after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The study, published Thursday in the American Journal of Public Health, highlights the significant delays and logistical burdens now facing patients seeking reproductive healthcare in restrictive states.
According to the study, the proportion of abortions performed at or after 13 weeks of pregnancy rose from 8% before a ban to 17% afterward. The average gestational age at which abortions were obtained increased from 7.7 weeks to 8.8 weeks.
“Delays snowball when access is restricted,” said lead author Diana Greene Foster, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco. “People are forced to travel farther, spend more money, miss work—and stay pregnant longer than they want to.”
Researchers surveyed 855 people across 14 states that had implemented near-total abortion bans, including Texas, Alabama, Indiana, and Missouri. Among them, 659 respondents sought abortions after a ban had taken effect. The data showed travel time to obtain an abortion jumped from an average of 2.8 hours to 11.3 hours, while travel costs more than doubled from $179 to $372. The proportion of patients forced to spend the night due to long-distance travel rose from 5% to 58%.
Despite these hurdles, 81% of respondents said they were eventually able to obtain an abortion, most by traveling to another state. A small percentage—between 3% and 11%—carried their pregnancies to term.
“These findings show that even with mounting obstacles, people will do what it takes to get the care they need,” Foster said. “But some still fall through the cracks.”
The study also comes amid funding controversy. Foster revealed that a five-year research grant awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue this work was abruptly canceled. The stated reason, according to the NIH, was that the research no longer aligned with agency priorities—a move Foster described as “deeply frustrating” and politically motivated.
President Donald Trump’s administration has taken a hard line against abortion and diversity-focused research. An executive order signed in January directed federal agencies to eliminate funding for programs and studies that do not adhere to a binary view of sex and gender. Weeks later, NIH announced sweeping funding cuts.
Despite the setback, Foster said she is committed to continuing the work with limited private funding. “We need real data to inform policy—not ideology,” she said. “I won’t stop doing this research because the stakes are too high.”
