Data on Abortion Providers Highlights Trends in Regional Access

The Guttmacher Data Center collected information on abortion access across the United States in 2014. One specific aspect they looked at during their research was the number of counties in each state without a single known abortion provider.

A noticeable trend from the data is the states with the highest percentage of counties without an abortion provider are clustered in the southern and midwestern regions of the United States. Mississippi and Missouri tie for first, with a whopping 99% of counties in those states lacking a single abortion provider.

The five states with the most counties without an abortion provider are also on the list of 13 states that have trigger laws that would automatically ban abortion either completely or drastically limit the procedure after the first trimester if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

Looking at the other end of the spectrum, the 10 states with the fewest counties without an abortion provider are clustered in the northeast region, except for Hawaii and California.

The Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision by the end of this month concerning a Mississippi law that outlaws most abortions illegal after 15 weeks. The decision will determine the future of abortion access in the United States. After the ruling is handed down, we could see certain southern and midwestern states go from 99% of counties without an abortion provider to 100%.