OAKLAND, Calif. (CN) — With California positioned as a sanctuary for abortion access in the wake of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, providers and advocates anxiously await an increased demand for services from out of state — even as many Golden State residents lack easy access to care.
Abortion remains legal in California and the state could see a nearly 3,000% increase in demand for services, according to Guttmacher Institute. About 26 states have or plan to ban or heavily restrict access to abortion following the court’s ruling and people might travel hundreds of miles from states like Texas, which already effectively outlawed abortion, for abortion care.
UC San Francisco reported data from the Abortion Facilities Database that distribution of abortion-providing facilities varied dramatically and California has 168 — 1 in 5 of the nation’s facilities. It is the closest abortion provider for about 1.4 million people, and between 8,000 and 16,100 people come to the Golden State each year for abortion care.
But California is a huge state and not entirely the blue bastion many believe it to be. A report from UC Berkeley School of Public Health said traveling any distance more than 50 miles can be “an insurmountable barrier to abortion access.” And according to NARAL Pro Choice California director Shannon Olivieri Hovis said UCSF’s study found many Californians have to drive at least 180 miles to the nearest clinic.