More abortions in California

In states where abortion remains legal, reproductive care workers have been complaining about being overworked due to increased demand for care from out-of-state patients. Planned Parenthood workers in at least seven states, including Massachusetts and Nebraska, have decided to unionize, according to news reports.

“We’ve definitely seen an increase in patients,” said Libby Kusiak, a certified physician associate at a Planned Parenthood in San Diego. “We see a lot of out-of-state patients since we’re kind of really perfectly nestled geographically to serve and accommodate patients from other states like Arizona, but we do see patients from Texas and other states as well.”

A new study by the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports reproductive rights, shows that the number of abortions in California has increased by 16% since the end of Roe vs. Wade.

It found 12,300 more abortions were performed from January to June 2023 compared to a similar time period in 2020. That marked the second-largest numerical increase in abortions among states.

Cathren Cohen, staff attorney at the UCLA Center on Reproductive Health, Law and Policy, said some patients seeking abortions may be traveling from states where bans have not yet been legalized or instituted.

“When people hear the news about the introduction of bans in states like North Carolina, Florida or even Arizona, there is a significant chilling effect,” she said. “People don’t seek out care because they think it is illegal, even if it is six months before those laws go into effect.”

https://calmatters.org/health/2023/09/planned-parenthood-california-union/