Millions of teen girls face barriers to abortion access after Dobbs

More than 7 million American adolescent girls ages 13 to 17 live in states with abortion bans, restrictive gestational limits or parental involvement requirements, according to Rutgers Health researchers.

Their study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, is the first to examine in detail the experiences of adolescent girls after states enacted restrictions on abortion access following the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization Supreme Court decision.

As a result of Dobbs, two-thirds of girls ages 13 to 17 now live in states that ban or severely restrict their abortion access. Minors are often targeted by restrictive policies and less able to use routes to abortion care common for adults – traveling to another state or using telehealth – leaving them disproportionately impacted. Without access to abortion, these girls have lost the ability to control their lives and their futures."

Laura Lindberg, professor at the Rutgers School of Public Health and author of the study

As of December, 12 states have banned abortion entirely and 10 states have restrictive gestational limits. As of Sept. 1, 2023, parental involvement in a minor's decision to have an abortion is required in the 10 states with restrictive gestational limits and 14 of 29 states (as well as Washington, D.C.) without bans or without restrictive gestational limits. New Jersey is a protective state for minors and does not require parental involvement.

The researchers relied on population estimates from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, numbers that reflected the U.S. 2020 Census. They found that 66% (7,080,485 of 10,666,913) of adolescent girls live in states with an abortion ban, restrictive gestational limits (six to 22 weeks), parental involvement requirements or a combination of the three.

In addition, the researchers found that 42% of adolescent girls live in the 24 states where abortion isn't banned but that require parental consent or notification. Lindberg said, "twenty-four states protect abortion access for adults but don't afford the same rights to minors forcing them by law to involve a parent, adding an unnecessary and harmful barrier to care."