Post-Dobbs, abortion clinics find new ways to serve patients in states with bans

Despite the upheaval of the abortion landscape nationwide, the total number of facilities that provide abortions in the US overall hasn’t changed much in the years post-Dobbs. States that enacted abortion bans had few clinics to start with.

In the last couple years, Houston Women’s Reproductive Services scaled down from nearly 5,000 square-feet to an 800-square-foot location. The Texas clinic cut more than a dozen full-time employees down to a medical director and three part-time staff members. It’s no longer able to provide abortions, but it changed its focus and stayed open. “I was willing to make whatever sacrifices needed to be made to keep our head above water, just keep the doors open and the lights on, and be able to provide care to these people who desperately need our help,” said clinic administrator Kathy Kleinfeld. It’s one example of the shift to the the country’s abortion landscape since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision ended the federal right to abortion two years ago. Since then, 14 states have near-total bans on abortion. Clinics can no longer provide abortions in more than a quarter of US states. Although the total number of facilities that provide abortions in the United States hasn’t changed that much – only a couple dozen clinics have closed completely – the number of closures doesn’t always capture the upheaval. States that enacted abortion bans generally had few clinics to start with. Since Dobbs, some packed up and moved to places where they can still provide care, but may require patients to travel further. Still other clinics remain open, but in a different capacity.