Out-of-State Abortions Surge in New Mexico Driven by Texas and National Funds

By Bud Shaver,

Albuquerque, New Mexico — New research shows that national abortion funds, Texas-based nonprofits, and affiliated organizations are dramatically expanding their travel, lodging, and logistical grants to bring out-of-state abortion seekers into New Mexico, raising significant concerns among Abortion Free New Mexico leaders about the state becoming a national hub for abortion-on-demand.

Out-of-State Abortion Surge Continues

More than 14,000 Texans traveled to New Mexico in 2023 to obtain abortions, and an estimated 71% of all abortions in the state are now performed on women who do not live in New Mexico. This massive influx has transformed the state into what Abortion Free New Mexico leaders describe as an “abortion tourism pipeline.”

The Guttmacher Institute reports that although total numbers dipped slightly in 2024, 12,700 non-residents still traveled to New Mexico for abortions—one of the highest rates in the nation.

National Groups Financing Abortion Travel to New Mexico

Several national and multi-state abortion funds have increased or restructured their budgets to prioritize long-distance travel to states like New Mexico, where abortion remains legal until birth.

The Brigid Alliance

• Pays for airfare, hotel stays, meals, childcare, and ground transportation.
• Reports an average $2,300 per client travel itinerary.
• Increased meal stipends (from $40/day to $75/day) to better fund long-distance travel.
• Serves a growing share of clients routed to New Mexico for late-term abortions.

National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF)

• Reports a 39% surge in requests following the Dobbs decision.
• Distributed nearly $37 million nationwide in one year, including $10+ million specifically for practical support such as travel and lodging.
• Prioritizes funding pipelines to “unrestricted states” like New Mexico.

Tubman Travel Project

• Receives major grants (including a $250,000 award) to support facilitated “group travel accompaniment” for Texans heading to New Mexico.
• Provides emotional support, lodging, and coordinated transportation.

Mariposa Fund (New Mexico)

• Focuses on undocumented individuals seeking abortion.
• Provides gas cards, travel coordination, and partnership support with larger national abortion funds.

​Texas-Based Groups Driving Travel to New Mexico

Several Texas nonprofits exist exclusively to help Texas women travel out-of-state for abortions, including New Mexico:

Fund Texas Choice

• Covers airfare, lodging, meals, and ground transportation.

Texas Tubman Travel Initiative

• Coordinates flights, hotels, recovery accommodations, and guided travel accompaniment.
• Has helped 400+ Texas women travel to New Mexico.

Texas Equal Access Fund (TEA Fund)

• Provides financial assistance for travel and related expenses to out-of-state abortion clinics.

Lilith Fund

• Supports Texas women traveling out-of-state, explicitly including New Mexico.

Additional Texas Organizations Providing Abortion Funding

Many partner with national networks that route women into New Mexico’s abortion industry.

Frontera Fund (Rio Grande Valley, TX)

• Provides financial assistance for procedures.
• Covers travel for Texans forced to seek out-of-state abortions.
• Frequently used by women in South Texas traveling to New Mexico for later-term procedures.

Jane’s Due Process (Texas)

• Helps Texas minors obtain judicial bypass.
• Funds and coordinates out-of-state travel for pregnant teens without parental involvement.
• A primary facilitator of underage abortion travel to New Mexico.

Stigma Relief Fund (Texas)

• Provides grants to offset abortion procedure costs at clinics like Alamo Women’s.
• Partners with other funds that cover transportation and lodging.

SYS – Support Your Sistah (Texas)

• Supports women of color and low-income Texans seeking abortion services.
• Helps fund out-of-state procedures and collaborates with national travel networks.

The Bridge Collective (Austin, TX)

• Offers transportation and practical support for Texans seeking abortion.
• Former rideshare network now assisting with interstate travel, including to New Mexico.

These organizations often operate independently from national funds but frequently coordinate with them to maintain a streamlined interstate abortion-travel system.

New Infrastructure to Support Abortion Tourism
​
​Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains has launched “Gloria,” an Airbnb-style housing platform matching abortion travelers with free lodging during their stay in New Mexico.

Abortion Free New Mexico leaders say this cements an interstate abortion pipeline funded by national and Texas-based groups.

Tara Shaver, spokesperson for Abortion Free New Mexico, released this statement:

The sheer scale of national and Texas-based funding pouring into New Mexico is alarming. We are witnessing a coordinated, multi-million-dollar effort to fly women—many of them vulnerable and in crisis—across state lines into an industry that profits from ending innocent lives. New Mexico is being targeted and exploited as the abortion capital of the United States. This is not compassion, and it is certainly not healthcare. It is a tragic abuse of women and an assault on our communities. New Mexico must not be used as a dumping ground for abortions that other states have rightly rejected.”

Growing Ethical and Community Concerns

From a pro-life perspective, this expanding network raises several concerns:

• The normalization of donor-funded “abortion tourism.”
• Heavy strain on New Mexico communities as out-of-state abortions dominate statewide totals.
• Creation of a permanent abortion-travel industry with housing networks, travel brokers, and paid coordinators.
• Moral concerns as millions are spent not to support mothers or families but to streamline pregnancy termination.

About Abortion Free New Mexico
​
Abortion Free New Mexico works to expose and end the abortion industry in New Mexico through investigations, advocacy, and public awareness. The organization has launched a billboard campaign to help counter out-of-state abortions and has a team that compassionately reaches out to abortion-minded women at Albuquerque abortion centers to offer support and help them choose life.