For anyone who can become pregnant in the U.S., their access to healthcare hinges on whether their state is one of the 18 that has banned or severely restricted abortion care. The one loophole Americans have — if they can afford it — is out-of-state care, but that option may soon be eliminated too.
Idaho has already passed an “abortion trafficking” law, which prevents minors from crossing state lines to access abortion care without their parents’ permission. While a federal judge has temporarily blocked the law, calling it unconstitutional, that hasn’t stopped states like Texas, Tennessee and Oklahoma from trying to get similar legislation approved. In fact, in January, Tennessee introduced a ban that would make minor out-of-state abortion care a Class C felony, meaning anyone from a friend to a grandmother could be sent to prison for 15 years after trying to help their loved one travel to another state for care.
