Minnesota sees spike in abortion, amid increase in out-of-state patients: report

Minnesota saw a 20 percent spike in abortions in 2022, amid an increase in patients traveling from outside of the state, according to an annual state report.

There were 12,175 abortions performed in the state last year, up from 10,138 in 2021, the Minnesota Department of Health report found.

While 10 percent of patients came from outside Minnesota in 2021, 16.5 percent were from outside the state in 2022. The increase is likely due to states that have partially or fully restricted access to abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade last June.

The largest numbers came from Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota, neighboring states where nearly all abortions are banned. More than 100 patients each traveled from Iowa and Texas, while smaller numbers came from Missouri, Michigan and Florida, according to the report.

The number of abortions per month saw an uptick after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling last June — which upended a constitutional right to abortion and returned access decisions to the states.

While the first part of 2022 saw between 800 and 1,000 abortions each month, more than 1,100 abortions occurred each month starting in August.

Minnesota is one of several Democratic-led states that has taken steps to protect abortion access, following the end of Roe v. Wade. 

Gov. Tim Walz (D) signed a bill in January codifying the right to abortion in the state, as well as another measure in April that seeks to protect out-of-state patients seeking abortions in Minnesota from legal repercussions.