via Associated Press
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Le New York Times estimates that a quarter of American women of childbearing age will have to travel at least 322 kilometers (200 miles) to access an abortion. According to the calculations of our colleagues from Mondein Louisiana, women who have on average 60 kilometers to go to a clinic should cross more than 1000. In Arizona, the average would increase from 17 to more than 400 kilometers.
Distances that could grow further as other states choose to ban or limit abortion. The number of American women more than 322 kilometers away from a clinic practicing abortion will rise, for example, to 24 million if Kansas, Florida and Virginia are added to the 13 States that already have or are in the process of to ban abortion.
Among the first states to ban abortion following the decision of the highest American court, we find in particular Missouri, Louisiana, Kentucky or South Dakota.
Only two clinics within 6 hours drive from Dallas
To better realize the distances, the New York Times also offers a view of the travel times required from several American cities to find the nearest abortion clinic.
In Jackson, Missouri, the first state to officially ban abortion on Friday, 39 clinics were within a six-hour drive, up from 18 since Friday. The closest being about 270 kilometers from this town near the border with Illinois.
Another example in Little Rock, Arkansas. The nearest clinic was about thirty kilometers from the capital and most populous city of this state. Since Friday, it is necessary to travel nearly 550 kilometers to reach the nearest clinic. The number of clinics accessible in less than 6 hours has decreased from 32 to 9.
For some American women living near the border with Canada, the most practical solution (but not necessarily the simplest on the administrative level) will then be to change country to have access to abortion.
The country’s second-largest state behind Alaska, Texas is a perfect illustration of the future journey for some American women. In Dallas, Texas, only two clinics will be within a six-hour drive taking into account the trigger law in this southern state, compared to 26 before the revocation of the “Roe v. Wade”. These two clinics are located approximately 560 kilometers from a Dallas resident.
Already banned after six weeks of pregnancy, abortion and the conditions that go with it in Texas foreshadow the following events for the United States. According to Planned Parenthood, the equivalent of family planning in France, between September and December 2021, the number of Texas residents who had abortions in another state increased by 800% compared to the same period in 2020. Letting fear the worst for the weeks and months to come.
See also on The HuffPost: The United States (a little more) divided after the revocation of the right to abortion
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