skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 7, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

3 days in, Trump is backtracking on his tariffs on Mexico and Canada; AL faith leaders call for more congressional oversight of Trump team; Court rules MS Legislature not a 'public body,' allows closed-door meetings; WI group pitches in to help voters share views with reps in Congress.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Democrats push back on Trump s order to dismantle the Department of Education, red states aim to deny public education to undocumented children and the Wisconsin Supreme Court election could be the most expensive judicial race in history.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Immigrant communities are getting advice from advocates as the reach of ICE expands, experts in rural America urge lawmakers to ramp up protections against elder abuse, and a multi-state arts projects seeks to close the urban-rural divide.

Ohio Research: Post-Roe Scenario Would Increase Travel for Abortion Care

play audio
Play

Thursday, April 21, 2022   

Researchers say abortion care would become even further out of reach for Ohioans should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn or weaken Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision establishing a nationwide right to an abortion.

This summer, the court will rule on a Mississippi law banning most abortions after 15 weeks. If it is upheld, three proposed abortion bans in Ohio could go into effect.

Payal Chakraborty, a graduate student in the College of Public Health at Ohio State University, led a new study, which found in a worst-case scenario, Ohioans would travel 181 to 279 miles to access an abortion provider.

"Depending on which states ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned, there would be either, like, a seven-times increase in average driving distance or a ten-times increase in average driving distance to get abortion care," Chakraborty reported.

She pointed out they also found Ohioans of color would be more affected by increased driving times than their white counterparts. According to data from February, centers of all Ohio counties were at most 99 miles away from an abortion provider.

A second study evaluated the reproductive-policy environment of states and the number of abortion providers and found an average of 8% of patients left their state for abortion care in 2017.

Mikaela Smith, a research scientist also at Ohio State, said in 12 states, more than 25% of patients crossed state lines, compared with fewer than 4% in 13 other states.

"States that have laws that are more restrictive of abortion tend to have a higher percent of patients leaving," Smith emphasized. "Those states that have more kind of protections around abortion have fewer percent of patients leaving."

Chakraborty added the logistical challenges of an abortion ban in Ohio go beyond extra miles on the road.

"The cost of getting an abortion is greatly increased," Chakraborty explained. "This would require missing work, finding child care, potential overnight stay, travel-related costs in terms of the amount of gas money or needing to access a car, etc."

Meanwhile, Smith noted in a survey last fall, a majority of Ohio women of reproductive age were supportive of legal abortion, which runs counter to restrictive policies being considered.

Reporting by Ohio News Connection in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
On March 7, 1965, police and state troopers brutally attacked civil rights marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala. Known as Bloody Sunday, the violence left many injured and sparked national outrage, fueling the fight for voting rights. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Sixty years ago this weekend, young activists marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, demanding their right to vote and changing …


Social Issues

play sound

As new federal policies and proposed funding cuts spark confusion and chaos, Wisconsinites are looking to voice their concerns to their elected …

Environment

play sound

Wisconsin's largest utility provider is seeking approval for a new gas plant to help meet growing electricity demand, but a new report argues there …


Social Issues

play sound

A Mississippi judge has ruled the State Legislature is not a "public body" under the state's Open Meetings Act, a decision allowing lawmakers to hold …

The current avian flu outbreak surfaced in 2022, with a big effect on wild birds and commercial poultry. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

By Dawn Attride for Sentient.Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Minnesota News Connection reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Collaboration…

Social Issues

play sound

A bill pending in the West Virginia Legislature would increase the length of penalties for "serious" felony convictions, but critics have said it …

Social Issues

play sound

More testimony was heard yesterday about term limit reforms in North Dakota, an issue voters around the state might have to decide again. In 2022…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021