New Report Shows Number of Out-of-State Abortions from Massachusetts Providers Doubled from 2023 to 2024
Massachusetts Department of Public Health 2024 report finds approximately 28,000 out-of-state patients accessed abortion care from Massachusetts providers
Boston, MA (March 18, 2026) – Reproductive Equity Now released the following statement in response to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s release of the latest 2024 abortion data. This report shows a significant increase in the number of abortions provided to out-of-state patients, with 27, 836 individuals accessing care from Massachusetts providers — nearly double the number reported in 2023.
This sharp increase reflects the efficacy of Massachusetts’ Shield Law, which protects patients and empowers providers to deliver legal care safely, including medication abortion via telehealth.
“The findings from this report are a clear indication that our Shield Law here in Massachusetts is working, and tell a powerful story that Massachusetts’ impact is shaping the national landscape in how abortion care is being accessed,” said Taylor St. Germain, Interim Co-Executive Director of Reproductive Equity Now. “These numbers show that providers are increasing their ability and capacity to continue providing telehealth care, and that patients across the country are looking to Massachusetts as a safe place to access the care they want and need, when and where they need it. By protecting telehealth care, Massachusetts’ Shield Law is helping break down immense barriers, and allowing people to access essential health care from where they are. We are proud to see the impact of this law in action, and we expect this need — and Massachusetts’ role in meeting it — to continue growing in the years ahead.”
Following the fall of Roe v. Wade, Massachusetts enacted a Shield Law to protect patients and providers delivering legal reproductive health care in the Commonwealth from out-of-state interference. The law includes protections for Massachusetts providers offering medication abortion care, regardless of the patient’s location.
In 2025, Massachusetts further strengthened these protections, including by allowing providers to omit their names from prescription labels and establishing additional safeguards to protect the personally identifiable information of patients accessing care.
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