Every time there’s news about abortion in the US, my notifications start pinging. In 2017 – “Will you start sending money to people in Texas who need abortions?” In 2019 – “Will you start helping people from Alabama travel for abortions?” When both the leak and the actual overturn of Roe v Wade happened, and when Donald Trump was elected – “Should we set up pathways for people from the US to travel to Europe for abortions?”
The people asking mean well. Like me, they want a world where anyone who needs an abortion can have one, preferably without having to cross state or international lines. Unlike me, most of these people haven’t spent over 20 years helping people failed by states, laws and healthcare systems have abortions.
Since Roe fell, some but not all states have made abortion virtually impossible. It is still much easier to travel within the US for abortion care than to cross the Atlantic. If a national abortion ban passes, Mexico and Canada are closer, easier, and far less expensive than Europe. Mexico and Canada have the same drawback as Europe: more than 60% of Americans do not have passports. This percentage likely increases amongst people who are marginalized or oppressed. Most women who have abortions already have at least one born child (fun fact: many US clinics provide childcare for patients) and transatlantic travel would require additional hours or days of childcare. The people who will be most impacted by Project 2025 are least likely to have the ability to travel to Europe.
