Massachusetts Abortions Double as Out-of-State Patients Surge

The number of abortions provided in Massachusetts between 2023 and 2024 spiked, and most of the patients were from out of state.

Out-of-State Patients Driving the Increase

"Massachusetts health care professionals are now providing abortions to more people out of state than residents," reported Boston's WGBH. "And a new report released by the state's Department of Public Health (DPH) this week suggests most of those appointments are happening without a single in-person visit."

State House News Service reported, "The Department of Public Health counted 49,450 abortions in 2024, according to a December report that drew backlash from pro-life organizations Wednesday and praise from reproductive rights advocates."

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"In 2023, DPH logged 24,355 abortions," according to WGBH. That is a more than doubling of the number of procedures in just one year.

The National Right to Life organization said that "The data indicates that nearly the entire increase in total volume is attributed to remote abortion pill sales."

MassDPH reported 27,836 of the 2024 abortions were for non-Massachusetts residents, while 21,407 were for residents. MassDPH had no residence information for 207 abortion recipients.

"State law requires that insurers cover abortion and abortion-related services, and federal health officials said Thursday they're initiating a 'comprehensive review' into that mandate," SHNS reported.

Federal Review and Policy Questions

"U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it is probing whether 13 states are allegedly coercing health care entities to provide coverage of, or pay for abortion contrary to conscience," according to SHNS. That includes Massachusetts.

How Massachusetts Law Protects Providers

The Massachusetts Shield Law protects abortion providers from out-of-state criminal or civil investigations, unlike other states such as Texas.

WGBH reported that Massachusetts is among "a small group of eight states that specifically offer legal protection to providers that serve patients out of state via telehealth."