Since the Supreme Court’s decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade, abortion providers in Colorado have seen an influx of patients from states like Texas, which passed a six-week abortion ban in 2021, and whose abortion ban — passed nearly 100 years ago — will go back into effect Aug. 25 as a result of the Dobbs decision.
Since the June 24 Dobbs decision, demand for services from the Colorado abortion advocacy group Cobalt has increased exponentially, according to data from the Cobalt Abortion Fund.
From January to July 31 of this year, the Cobalt Abortion Fund spent $209,647 on funding procedures, up from the $102,780 spent during the same period in 2021. Cobalt has spent $115,250 on practical support, which includes travel expenses and lodging for out-of-state abortion patients, during the same period this year, compared to just $874 in 2021.
Since June 24 alone, Cobalt has helped 140 patients receive abortion care, and has provided practical support funds to 315 recipients. According to Cobalt, 66% of recipients from out of state are from Texas.
CORRECTION: A headline initially stated that Cobalt helped 455 patients get abortions, combining the patients who received abortions with the ones who received “practical support” like travel. But these figures should not be combined, in part because not all the travel money goes to people who get abortions, according to COBALT. For example, the organization provided travel funds for a mother and daughter to make a trip to Colorado together for an abortion. The article also initially stated that 66% of the abortion patients assisted by COBALT were from Texas. In fact, 66% of out-of-state patients were from Texas.
