In the two years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending national abortion access protections, abortion providers in Washington have received a growing number of out-of-state patients. But even before Roe fell, access to abortion was far from universal in Washington. Many Washingtonians who live in rural communities or those who need abortions in the later stages of pregnancy often turn to providers in Oregon.

It’s a gap in the state’s abortion infrastructure that preceded Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health and persists today, at a time when states like Washington and Oregon are accommodating even more abortion patients from out of state, increasing pressure and traumatic circumstances for both patients and providers.