Border states are adding abortion clinics, doctors, hours to accommodate Hoosiers

In the first seven months of 2023, the Chicago Abortion Fund financially helped about 600 Hoosiers travel out of Indiana for care. In the six months after that, once Indiana's ban on abortion went into effect, that number increased to about 900, a 50% increase, according to the organization.

Abortion providers in nearby states say in the wake of Indiana's ban and those of other states, they have beefed up resources to handle an influx of out-of-state patients that has overwhelmed their practices.

Since Indiana lawmakers first passed the ban in 2022 — a law that court challenges prevented from taking effect until August of 2023 — an independent abortion clinic opened in Champaign, Ill.; a Planned Parenthood clinic doubled its size in the same city; and an Indianapolis abortion clinic planned a move to Danville, Ill. Numerous other clinics in three neighboring states report that they have expanded hours and hired more providers and staff to accommodate Hoosiers.

Meanwhile, clinics in this state have closed and only a few hospitals provide abortion care to save the life of the mother. Since the ban went into effect in August, the Hoosier Abortion Fund saw the number of people seeking financial help plummet from nearly 400 a month to less than 200, a drop that one Fund official attributed to confusion over whether it's legal to travel for the procedure.

However, Hoosiers seeking abortions are increasingly looking for help to states such as Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan, which have all recently passed abortion protections.

Indiana residents rank second, after those of Texas, for receiving assistance from the Midwest Access Coalition, which helps people pay for abortion care and travel, according to the organization.

That's why providers are hiring a growing number of patient navigators who direct people across thousands of miles for abortion care as well as help arrange childcare and find bus routes or plane tickets.

Border clinics are expanding and opening

These navigators now can choose from multiple options within a few hours' drive from Indiana.Equity Clinic opened in February in Champaign, Illinois — a city less than an hour's drive from the Indiana border. The clinic's website mentions its proximity to Indianapolis.

The vast majority of out-of-state patients come from Indiana, said Dr. Keith Reisinger-Kindle, the medical director of the clinic.

In fact, so many patients travel from far away that the clinic stays open through the weekend so patients don't have to take time off of work.

Out-of-state residents made up about 21% of the patients who received abortions in Illinois in 2020, according to the reproductive health research nonprofit Guttmacher Institute. That increased to 42% in 2023.

The percentage of out-of-state patients also increased in Ohio and Michigan, but far less dramatically.

Illinois has become such a refuge for abortion providers that one Indianapolis clinic is moving to there to continue its practice.

LaDonna Prince, who ran the now-closed Clinic for Women on the west side of Indianapolis, is planning to open a facility an hour and a half west — just over the Illinois line in Danville.

The opening was delayed after a man attacked the building by deliberately driving a car into it. That did not dissuade Prince at all.

"It made me more determined to open this clinic," she said.

More options in the future

Hoosiers have even more options in Ohio and Michigan.

Since Ohio residents voted to protect abortion access, Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region has received a surge of calls from out-of-state, according to Vanessa Hinsdale, an administrator with the organization.

The nonprofit added two navigator positions to help those traveling for care, expanded hours in its clinics and hired more doctors.

Similarly Planned Parenthood of Michigan is looking to expand the number of clinics that provide procedural abortions-- with an eye towards Grand Rapids, about a two-hour drive from the Indiana border.

"Now that Michigan secured our place as a haven state, we do take seriously the responsibility not only for Michiganders but those from other states," said Ashlea Phenicie, Chief Advocacy Officer at Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan.

Navigators help patients cross state lines

Traveling to other states for care has significant downsides, from the high cost to the logistical challenges and delays.

Rachel Brown works for a regional Planned Parenthood organization, helping patients work through the often fraught and complicated calculus of abortion access.

Sometimes she helps patients figure out if there's a nearby clinic in a city where they have a place to stay. Other times she looks for the nearest clinics with the soonest availability.

The logistics puzzle and added steps sometimes mean delays, Brown said. And delays can add complications of their own.

"The longer gestational age, there are more challenges and longer recovery," she said.

The cost can easily reach the thousands, between health care costs, plane or bus tickets, hotel stays, babysitters and lost wages from time off. Some employers, like Eli Lilly and Co., Salesforce and Kroger will cover abortion travel costs, but some people may feel uncomfortable seeking care through their employers. And most people who need the care do not have that benefit.

"But the reality is no one should be forced to share private medical information with their employer in order to access medical care," said Rebecca Gibron, the CEO of a regional Planned Parenthood that includes Indiana.

For rural Hoosiers, it's even more challenging than those living in cities states away. Those in remote areas may not have ride-sharing apps like Uber or Lyft or traditional taxis, said Courtney McDowell, an abortion care navigator for Planned Parenthood of Illinois. There may not be buses, trains or airports nearby.

One Indiana patient traveling to Illinois for abortion care, she said, had to fly through Dallas to return home because other options were not available.

"Simply suggesting that patients travel the blue states for abortion care is unsustainable," Gibron said. "Clinics in these states, in Illinois and in Ohio. They're already completely swamped with patients."

Binghui Huang can be reached at 317-385-1595 or Bhuang@gannett.com