Ohio abortions up 15% due to out-of-state patients, telehealth
Ohio abortions up 15% due to out-of-state patients, telehealth
Jessie Balmert, Cincinnati EnquirerTue, March 3, 2026 at 2:26 PM UTC
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Two years after Ohio voters approved an abortion rights amendment, the number of abortions performed in the Buckeye State is on the rise as out-of-state patients seek abortions there, according to newly released data.
Ohio reported 25,135 abortions performed in the state in 2025 − a 15% increase from 2024, according to a new Ohio Department of Health report. One in five abortions was provided to an out-of-state patient, as neighboring state leaders restrict abortion or ban it entirely.
Pro-choice counterprotestors, from right, Sarah Kolick, Dominique W. and Haily T. (no last names given) cary a pro-abortion sign past the March for Life rally outside the Ohio Statehouse on Oct. 3, 2025.
Access to abortion has changed dramatically in recent years after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down abortion protections in Roe v. Wade in the 2022 Dobbs case. In the months that followed, Ohio implemented a ban on most abortions, which drove patients who could afford to travel to neighboring states for the pill or procedure.
But a judge put that abortion ban on hold. In 2023, Ohio voters approved a constitutional amendment to protect access to abortion and other reproductive rights.
Since that 2023 vote, other abortion restrictions have fallen, including a mandatory 24-hour waiting period and a requirement that fetal remains be buried or cremated. These court challenges have made abortion more accessible in Ohio − a fact that abortion rights proponents celebrate and opponents lament.
“Today’s report shows that more patients are getting access to the care they need through in-clinic appointments and telehealth visits with providers. This is exactly why voters approved the Ohio Reproductive Freedom Amendment," said Jaime Miracle, deputy director of Abortion Forward, which advocated for the constitutional amendment.
However, Carrie Snyder, executive director of Ohio Right to Life, mourned the rising number of abortions.
“We worked so hard to inform the voters of Ohio that adding an amendment to expand abortion would be devastating to Ohio," Snyder said. "We are just now beginning to see that truth. The equivalent of an entire city is being lost to abortion every year, and the numbers are growing."
Increase in out-of-state patients
The year before the Supreme Court returned abortion policy to the states, Ohio reported performing 1,097 abortions for out-of-state patients in 2021. In 2025, that number had risen to 5,243.
Abortion rights supporters attribute that increase to abortion bans and restrictions elsewhere. Thirteen states ban all abortions, including nearby Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia.
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“Ohio is a medical destination state," Miracle said. "Just as our major medical institutions are national leaders in cancer treatment and heart health, our small-but-mighty abortion clinics are proudly serving patients from across the country."
Snyder said the increase was evidence of "abortion tourism."
Telehealth abortions on the rise
The Ohio Department of Health attributed some of the increase in abortions statewide to the availability of telehealth prescriptions. In these scenarios, abortion providers meet with patients virtually, then send abortion pills by mail.
In 2025, 3,776 telehealth prescriptions for abortion were provided to Ohio residents, according to the state health department report. That amounted to 15% of all abortions in the state.
The Ohio Department of Health report also offers more insight into who is having abortions and when. About 90.9% of abortions occurred before 13 weeks of gestation. About 66.9% of patients were never married, 41.7% were White, 39.2% were Black and 59.3% reported having at least one child already.
What's the future of abortion in Ohio?
While abortion rights advocates won a victory in 2023, the legal fights are not over. The Ohio Supreme Court, which includes six Republicans and one Democrat, has yet to weigh in on the new constitutional amendment and its limits.
The 2023 "victory is at risk from the extremists in the Ohio Legislature and state Supreme Court," Miracle said. "Voters must elect pro-choice candidates to ensure the rights they enshrined in 2023 will continue to be enforced.”
Republican state lawmakers have introduced proposals to limit Mifepristone, a drug used in medication abortions, require a 24-hour waiting period before an abortion, require students to watch a fetal development video like one created by abortion opponents, and ban abortion entirely.
Abortion opponents say Ohio needs limits on abortion, even if voters approved access in 2023. "The assertion that voters approve of abortion at all times, for any reason, is silly no matter how many times the pro-abortion lobby and their friends in the media repeat it," Snyder said.
State government reporter Jessie Balmert can be reached at jbalmert@usatodayco.com or @jbalmert on X.
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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Out-of-state patients, telehealth drive 15% increase in Ohio abortions
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