Thousands of women in neighboring red states coming to Virginia for abortions

Out-of-state calls to the Blue Ridge Abortion Fund hotline – from neighboring red states like North Carolina, West Virginia, Kentucky, as far away as Florida – have nearly doubled since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022.

Those states have enacted either partial or total bans on abortion, forcing women seeking abortions to the nearest state where they can get one – Virginia, where nearly a quarter of the abortions performed here, more than 10,000 in calendar year 2024, involve women from out of state.

“This data reflects what we hear every day: more people need help, more people are traveling, and more people are navigating barriers that have nothing to do with whether abortion is legal and everything to do with whether it’s reachable,” said April Greene, executive director at the Blue Ridge Abortion Fund, which is based in Charlottesville.

“Our message is simple: if you need support to get care in Virginia, BRAF is here — and you deserve help without shame.”

According to BRAF data:

• Out-of-state callers nearly doubled: Prior to 2023, only 13 percent of abortion seekers BRAF supported traveled to Virginia from out of state. In FY 2024-2025, that number jumped to 25 percent, with most traveling from North Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
• Practical support has surged: Practical support funding for things like travel, accommodations, and child care increased 72 percent in FY 2024-2025 over the prior year, and 1,071 percent since Dobbs in 2022.
• Funding pledges continue to climb: In FY 2024-2025, BRAF saw a 54 percent increase in funding pledged over the prior year and a 155 percent total increase since Roe was overturned in 2022.

Meeting the moment

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BRAF has launched a new regional out-of-home campaign to make abortion support easier to find — especially for people traveling into Virginia for care and for Virginians facing cost, logistics, or confusion.

Featuring welcoming and supportive messages from “Virginia: Offering abortion care with and support,” and “Virginia: Providing abortion care, support, and compassion when Southerners need it,” the campaign will be seen on billboards, sidewalk wheatpasting, and other out-of-home ads like posters through the next month the ads emphasize that abortion care is available in Virginia, and that BRAF can help people access care with funding, travel support, and other practical assistance.

Billboards will be located on highways in Northern Virginia and Roanoke, while wheatpasting and other ads will focus on the Alexandria area.