Louisiana women had more abortions last year despite the state’s near-total ban, according to new data released three years after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
The data shows that in 2024, more women had abortions than in the years leading up to the state’s ban. The rise is largely driven by telemedicine abortions, where medication is delivered by mail.
Louisiana’s data mirrors the national trend, where the total number of abortions was higher in 2024 than it was in 2023 or 2022.
Here’s what the data shows about abortions in the state post-Roe.
Abortions are up overall, thanks to pills by mail
In 2020 and 2021 — before Louisiana banned nearly all abortions — the state’s clinics provided 7,473 and 7,444 abortions, respectively.
In 2024, telemedicine abortions in the state alone surpassed those numbers. According to the Society of Family Planning’s WeCount report, 7,510 telemedicine abortions were provided to patients in Louisiana by clinics that mail abortion medication.
And telemedicine abortions grew in 2024 compared to 2023. In the last six months of 2023, there were 2,480 telemedicine abortions in Louisiana. Over the same period in 2024, that jumped to 3,960 — an increase of 1,480 abortions.
The actual number of medication abortions in Louisiana is likely higher, because the Society of Family Planning only tracks abortions provided by clinicians operating legally in U.S. states, not those obtained through online pharmacies, community networks, or physicians outside of the country.
On top of that, Louisiana women are continuing to travel out of state. Last year, 2,470 patients traveled out of the state for abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
In total, 9,980 abortions involving Louisiana women were documented in 2024.
Shield laws are key to abortion access
When the Society for Family Planning collects its data for telemedicine abortions, it relies on information from providers in states where abortions remain legal, and where the law protects telemedicine reproductive health care.
These shield laws protect physicians from both civil and criminal liability, no matter where they ship abortion medications. The laws are playing a critical role in abortion access in states with bans, including Louisiana.
Clinics operating under shield laws provided an average of 12,330 abortions per month nationwide in 2024, according to the most recent Society for Family Planning report. And the numbers have increased each month.
There were under 6,000 telemedicine abortions provided under shield laws in July of 2023. By December of 2024, that number had risen to just under 14,000.
Anti-abortion groups in Louisiana and across the country have increasingly focused on medication abortion for this reason, pushing for restrictions on the medication and expanding civil and criminal liability for providers. A new law in Louisiana gives women up to 10 years after an abortion to sue out-of-state providers.
The number of women traveling out of state declined
As telemedicine abortions have risen, the number of women traveling out of Louisiana for care has declined.
In 2023, 3,950 patients traveled out of state for abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute. In 2024, that dropped to 2,470, a decline of 1,480.
Where women go for care has also changed. In 2023, Florida saw the most patients from Louisiana by far. Then Florida enacted a six-week abortion ban and the number of Louisiana patients traveling there dropped sharply — from 1,820 abortions in Florida clinics in 2023 to just 460 last year.
Other major destinations for Louisiana patients in 2024 were Virginia, California, Maryland, Georgia and Kansas. The top destination was Illinois, which saw 770 abortion patients from Louisiana.
The decline in Louisianans traveling for care may be due to both new restrictions and the fact that it’s become more expensive and complicated to travel for abortions.
The Louisiana Abortion Fund estimates that its clients traveled on average 1,093 miles round-trip to have an abortion in 2024. It provided an average $792.91 to help patients cover the cost of the procedure.
The Bridge Alliance, an organization that helps cover travel-related costs, provides Louisiana clients with an average $3,000. That helps cover hotels, airfare, food and child care, but not the cost of the procedure itself.
Most abortion patients already have children
Before banning nearly all abortions, Louisiana required its health department to collect detailed demographic information on abortion patients. These reports included marital status, race and age. Researchers also worked with abortion clinics to understand the backgrounds and circumstances of patients seeking care.
The vast majority of Louisiana abortion patients, 73%, had already had at least one live birth, according to one study from 2015.
Most abortions took place in the first trimester, and Black women were disproportionately represented among patients, state data showed. Louisiana abortion patients were also more likely to live in parishes with the highest rates of poverty, according to the 2015 study. About half, or 53%, of abortion patients had no education beyond high school. The study also found that on average, women traveled a mean distance of 116 miles round-trip, compared to the over 1,000 miles they traveled in 2024.
