Charlotte, NC abortion clinics seeing increased demand post-Roe reversal
At a Charlotte abortion clinic this month, Tina Marshall, founder of the Black Abortion Defense League, took note of something new. Dozens of cars pulled in with out-of-state plates: South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana and even as far away as Texas.
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, but abortion remains legal in North Carolina — and both Charlotte and North Carolina are seeing more patients traveling from outside of the state to its clinics.
Last week, nonresidents comprised 60% of Charlotte’s Planned Parenthood abortion patients, according to Dr. Katherine Farris, chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic.
About 200 appointments in the state last week were out-of-state clients, making up a third of the scheduled appointments, Farris said.
Before Roe v. Wade was overturned, about 1 in 5 patients who received abortion care in North Carolina came from out of state.
“It is true that if you look at the Southeast, all roads lead to and through North Carolina,” Farris said. “We are seeing an absolute increase in demand in our Charlotte location, but we are also seeing an increase in demand across our other centers in North Carolina and in our centers in Virginia.”
Clinics are trying to strike a balance between serving the local and state community versus providing care to out-of-state patients.
“Instead of focusing on necessarily the area code, I think we’re focusing a little bit more on things like gestational age,” said Calla Hales, executive director of A Preferred Women’s Health Center in Charlotte. “In terms of equity, I think it’s going to take some time to figure out what that outreach looks like to make sure we are helping our community as well and not letting them be overrun.”
Planned Parenthood hopes to help patients reach the “first available appointment in their most convenient location” throughout its network, regardless of ZIP code, Farris said.
Hales said she has fielded calls from patients in Kentucky, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi since the high court’s landmark decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, and estimates an increase of around 50% to 65% more calls.
Not all of the callers sought appointments. Many were patients asking if appointments were still valid, people with questions about abortion care and others asking how they can support abortion care in the state.
This story was originally published July 17, 2022 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Charlotte, NC abortion clinics seeing increased demand post-Roe reversal."
