Orange, San Bernardino Counties Planned Parenthoods see 133% more out-of-state appointments
The number of women coming across state lines to Planned Parenthood's nine health centers in Orange and San Bernardino Counties has skyrocketed following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
The OC Planned Parenthood Medical Director said a patient from Phoenix drove through the night for six hours and slept in her car outside of the San Bernardino center for over two hours — all for a procedure that would take four minutes and 12 seconds.
"Right afterward got in the car and drove home," said Dr. Janet Jacobson.
Like Jacobson's patient, doctors at the OC and SB County Planned Parenthood centers said that half of their out-of-state patients are from Arizona.
In the days before the Supreme Court's decision, the centers had nine out-of-state abortion appointments. Two weeks after the decision, the number more than doubled to 21 women. Planned Parenthood said that appointments have increased by 133% and expect it to rise as high as 700%. The organization has set up a new program to help women travel for abortions.
"We can cover either airfare or a bus ticket or gas money to get them here," said Jacobson. "We can put them up in a hotel and provide meal vouchers."
With the influx of patients, some groups have pledged to help women get to California for the care that they cannot get at home.
"I, and I'm sure many other supporters of Planned Parenthood, have doubled down in our support in recent weeks," former Planned Parenthood patient and volunteer Julie Korinke. "Because we know what a difficult position this has put so many patients in."
Orange County's Planned Parenthood said patients throughout California are also coming to their center after their local offices were overflowed with appointments from other states.
The organization decided to add another health center in San Bernardino because of the influx in appointments.
