California Today: How many abortion seekers are traveling to California

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and some states banned abortions altogether, many Americans began crossing state lines to get one.

View in browser|nytimes.com June 24, 2024 By Soumya Karlamangla It's Monday. California is drawing abortion seekers from other states. Plus, California lawmakers narrowly dodged a budget shortfall. The New York Times After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and some states, mainly in the South, banned abortions altogether, many Americans began crossing state lines to get one. In 2023, the first full year after Roe was reversed, the number of patients traveling out of state for an abortion or to get abortion pills was double the figure from 2019, according to new data from the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights. The institute said that nearly one-fifth of all recorded abortions involved interstate travel. The New York Times recently captured that trend in a fascinating set of maps. "We're having people travel hundreds or thousands of miles for a procedure that typically takes less than 10 minutes and can be done in a doctor's office setting," said Amy Hagstrom Miller, the founder of Whole Woman's Health, which runs clinics in Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico and Virginia. "Nobody does that for any other medical procedure." California has positioned itself as a safe haven for abortion seekers. In the past two years, state legislators in Sacramento have passed several laws fortifying access to abortion. The state Constitution was amended to guarantee the right to abortion and contraception. California, along with Oregon and Washington, officially declared that abortion patients and providers would be protected from the legal reach of other states. Just last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill temporarily allowing Arizona abortion providers to travel to California to provide abortions to their Arizona patients. The move was in response to a possible reinstatement of a 160-year-old near-total ban on abortions in Arizona, through what Newsom called "oppressive and dangerous attacks on women." (The Arizona Legislature ultimately blocked the ban from going back into effect.) "California stands ready to protect reproductive freedom," the governor said at the time. The data from Guttmacher shows that 179,610 abortions were performed in California in 2023, which is 19 percent more than in 2019. About 4 percent of the 2023 abortions — or 7,184 — were for patients who don't live in California. While that is a significant figure, the influx is not as large as some other states have experienced, especially those that neighbor states with abortion bans. (California doesn't border any state that bans abortion entirely; Arizona now bans the procedure after 18 weeks of pregnancy, an earlier limit than under Roe v. Wade.) The situation is different in a state like New Mexico, which borders two states — Oklahoma and Texas — that effectively ban abortions. In 2023, more than 14,000 patients traveled there from Texas alone. The total number of abortions performed in New Mexico in 2023 was more than quadruple the figure from 2019, and 71 percent of the patients were nonresidents. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. Gov. Gavin Newsom of California released a revised 2024-25 state budget proposal during a news conference in May. John G Mabanglo/EPA, via Shutterstock The rest of the news California lawmakers announced a deal on Saturday to close a state budget deficit estimated at $47 billion. California has been slammed by a post-pandemic drop in its revenue. David DePape was convicted by a California court of breaking into Nancy Pelosi's home in 2022 and beating her husband with a hammer. He had already been convicted on federal charges in the attack. A California man, Dharmesh Patel, was granted a mental health diversion after being accused of deliberately driving himself and his family over a cliff, suspending the criminal trial, CNN reports. The Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3 against a California woman who claimed that federal officials violated her rights by refusing her husband entry into the United States, The Associated Press reports. Southern California The swimming competition at the 2028 Summer Olympics will be held at SoFi Stadium, the home of Los Angeles's two N.F.L. teams, which is twice the size of the typical venues used for Olympic swimming events, organizers said. Temecula Valley voters recalled the president of the local school board, Joseph Komrosky, in response to his conservative policies, like requiring notification to parents when a child asks to be identified as a different gender at school. A teenager was fatally stabbed in a fight during the L.A.P.D. Pacific Area Boosters and Palms Weekend Festival, a carnival sponsored by a club that supports the Los Angeles police, The Los Angeles Times reports. Northern California A man who was missing for 10 days in Big Basin Redwoods State Park was found alive by a search party that involved about 300 people. WHAT WE'RE EATING David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Baked Summer Tomatoes Recipe from Edna Lewis Adapted by Melissa Clark about 1 hour Makes 4 to 6 servings Tell us We're almost halfway through 2024. Tell us what the best part of your year has been so far, whether it is a special birthday, graduation or just something going well in your life. Email us at CAtoday@nytimes.com. Please include your name and the city in which you live. Two bald eagles, Jackie and Shadow, seen in a remote-camera image at Big Bear Lake in 2022. Friends of Big Bear Valley and Big Bear Eagle Nest Cam/U.S. Forest Service, via Associated Press And before you go, some good news Two bald eagles, Jackie and Shadow, have attracted quite a following online, as hundreds of thousands of people regularly watch a livestream of the pair's nest. Several of the eagles' most loyal fans met up at Big Bear Lake over the weekend to connect and share a love for the birds. Some attendees at the meet-up spotted the two eagles flying in the area during their visit, The LAist reported. The event, hosted by Sandy Steers, executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley, was part of an annual Outdoor Adventure Days program with activities like kayaking and birding. There was even Jackie and Shadow merchandise available, including sweatshirts, tote bags and plush toys. Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Soumya P.S. Here's today's Mini Crossword. Briana Scalia contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at CAtoday@nytimes.com. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for California Today from The New York Times. To stop receiving California Today, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018