North Carolina sees increased demand for abortions

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — As more patients travel for abortions, North Carolina and Wilmington are seeing an increase in demand.

As of now, North Carolina and Virginia are the two states in the Southeast that haven’t tightened abortion restrictions.

“So this has made North Carolina a critical access point for the entire region,” said Planned Parenthood’s Jillian Riley.

Wilmington’s Planned Parenthood is one of the closest facilities to the South Carolina border. According to Riley, more than a third of our state’s abortion patients are from out-of-state.

“We’re seeing patients come from South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and as far as all the way from Texas.”

To meet demand, some abortion clinics are hiring more staff and expanding their hours of operation.

“We know that in June of 2021, we had 730 patients receiving abortion care. And as of June of this year, 2022, we have over 900,” Riley continued.

It’s an increase many providers expect to keep growing.

According to state law, abortion is legal up until the 20th week of pregnancy in North Carolina.