In the two years since the end of Roe v. Wade, states like North Carolina have felt the impact of its consequences for abortion access in innumerable ways. According to a report from the Society of Family Planning, in March 2024, the most recent month for which data is available, an estimated 3,980 abortions were administered — an increase of 21% from April 2022 when the organization began tracking data in its report. Paradoxically, estimated abortions have increased nearly 27% since July 2023, the month that North Carolina’s 12-week abortion ban took effect.
The rise in abortions taking place in North Carolina after the fall of Roe can largely be attributed to patients traveling to the state for abortion care from nearby states, where laws were even more draconian. That increase was particularly notable between May 2022 and July 2023, when North Carolina still permitted abortions until the 20th week of pregnancy. Abortions dropped dramatically in July 2023, when North Carolina’s 12-week abortion ban went into effect. Still, while drastically restrictive compared to its previous law, North Carolina’s 12-week ban allows for more time for pregnant people to receive abortion care than in most states in the Southeast, making North Carolina a regional destination for many patients seeking abortion care.
One organization, El Pueblo, in North Carolina, which is dedicated to serving the growing Latine community living in the state, is fighting to advocate for and raise awareness of those disproportionately impacted by the state's abortion bans. “In North Carolina, the Latine population is the fastest growing population in the state. Here, over 250,000 Latinas of reproductive age are harmed by our state’s abortion bans and any attempts to further restrict care. There are also only 14 abortion clinics located in nine different counties, meaning that the vast majority – 91% of counties – in the state are without a clinic,” Veronica Aguilar, Communications Director at El Pueblo, told Teen Vogue in a statement.
Across the U.S., Aguilar said, “Latines tend to be primarily young, with a large percentage of them being of child-bearing age, and are more likely to live in states that currently restrict, ban or will likely ban abortions.” The restrictions for undocumented individuals are particularly magnified, as legislation, social contexts, and institutional obstacles further restrict movement. For example: ineligibility to obtain a driver’s license, fear of traveling across state lines, inability to afford travel or cross-state housing, and a lack of health insurance.
“For many Latines who migrated to the U.S. before the Dobbs decision, having access to abortion in this country felt like a welcomed surprise, a positive step to allowing pregnant individuals to make decisions around the size of their families. However, for many, they still faced barriers to accessing affordable care, and for receiving care in culturally responsive ways and in their language,” Florence M. Simán, Director of Development & Co-Director of Operations at El Pueblo told Teen Vogue.
Across Latin America, where abortion is still almost completely banned in many countries, cultural attitudes toward abortion in the past 20 years have begun to shift. “Activists for abortion and reproductive healthcare rights in Latin America achieved significant advances in the region, including decriminalizing abortion federally and in some states in Mexico, decriminalizing abortion up to 14 weeks in Argentina, and decriminalizing abortion up to 24 weeks in Colombia,” Simán said. “While their country of origin still may uphold draconian, oppressive healthcare laws, many Latines who have emigrated in recent generations experienced the ‘Green Wave’ in their home countries or vicariously through the news, or their friends and family abroad, and have helped to push back on abortion stigma and raise awareness of women’s rights here in the US.”
A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that a solid majority of the diverse population of Latines living across the United States, long thought to be socially conservative, “believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases.” Despite this, politicians in North Carolina continue to push for more restrictive bans.
It's an environment that has become even more fraught in recent days as devastating damage from Hurricane Helene has racked North Carolina. After climate disaster of this scale, for those seeking reproductive healthcare, abortion access, menstrual hygiene products, contraception and the like, the situation is particularly precarious. Here's how you can help those impacted by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina and beyond.
