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Us & Them: The Geography Of Abortion
State borders are the new front lines in the nation’s abortion battle. On this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay looks at the evolving geography of abortion.
Since a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision overturned federal abortion rights, 21 states have either banned or restricted abortion access, including West Virginia. Meanwhile, West Virginia’s neighbor, Maryland, is one of 22 states that are protecting abortion rights and expanding access.
Kay follows the decision of Women’s Health Center of West Virginia to move its abortion services from Charleston to a new clinic just over the border near Cumberland, Maryland. The move was intentional, because Western Maryland, like West Virginia, is a so-called abortion desert. The two regions have some deep political and cultural similarities. Western Maryland Republicans say they feel ignored by the overwhelmingly liberal, Democratic legislature in Annapolis. They say the new abortion clinic is not wanted or needed in their part of Maryland, and they blame the clinic’s presence on the fallout from Roe v. Wade’s defeat.
This episode of Us & Them is presented with support from the West Virginia Humanities Council and the CRC Foundation.
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Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
“I believe wholeheartedly that it does one thing that is absolutely so important. It does protect life.” — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice
Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Now, abortion access has become even more fragmented and deeply polarized. Fourteen states, including West Virginia, have essentially banned abortion. They have become what some call “abortion deserts.” Seven states have imposed stricter legal limits, while 22 states have moved to protect abortion rights and expand access. Maryland is one of those states.
In May 2023, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore approved laws that do several things. They allow a wider range of medical professionals to perform abortions. They maintain the privacy of abortion-related medical records. And they shield doctors and others from criminal investigations by states with more restrictive abortion laws.
“I’m very proud to sign legislation that will protect access to abortion in Maryland. In this moment of serious consequences for women and for all Marylanders, Maryland can and will lead on this issue of abortion access. And I want to say to all women who are out there who are wondering what will happen. Who are worried about their future. Please hear me loud and clear. Maryland will always be a safe haven for abortion access and abortion rights.” — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore
Credit: Gov. Wes Moore’s X (Twitter) Post
“It’s necessary because we feel very strongly that we want Maryland to remain a state that protects abortion access. On the ballot this November, Maryland voters will once again be able to affirmatively and resoundingly say their reproductive freedom should be a constitutional right. It is the highest protection that we can give our constituents.” — Maryland Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk
Credit: Maryland Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D), MD 21
“I had spent a lot of years trying to recruit to our practice there and working a lot of shifts, taking a lot of calls. And then on top of that, you know, trying to advocate within the state, trying to advocate at the state government level to protect reproductive rights in West Virginia. And I got this great opportunity in Maryland, which is a very friendly and protective state from a women’s health and reproductive health standpoint. And we saw the writing on the wall, and I knew I was coming here and I was going to have to work less in a more friendly environment, and I just couldn’t pass that up. I don’t think I would have left otherwise.” — Dr. Anne Banfield, OB-GYN
Credit: Dr. Anne Banfield/MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital
“We were like, okay, a five to 10 year goal would be an indie clinic out here in mountain Maryland. And then in January, I get an email saying, ‘Hi, I’m Katie Quiñonez and my friend Ramsie Monk and I work with the Women’s Health Center of Charleston and we’d like to speak with you.’ And they had already found the location and it was perfect. It was made for the operation … I was relieved that we could have options for people that didn’t have options.” — Cresta Kowalski
Credit: Cresta Kowalski/Facebook
“What we’re dealing with here in Allegheny County, Maryland, is a direct result of the Dobbs decision. The West Virginia Legislature took the opportunity after the Dobbs decision to pass legislation effectively banning abortion. And the Maryland state legislature, as in many other states, has responded to the Dobbs decision by radicalizing even more their pro-abortion legislation. So, we’re caught up in the middle of that. It’s just that here, we’re in a part of Maryland that doesn’t fit well in Maryland.” — Michael Mudge
Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Mudge referred to the political segregation that has deepened in Maryland as it has across the country.
There’s the rural, conservative, Republican Maryland of the western panhandle, the eastern Chesapeake Bay, and the counties north of Baltimore. And there’s the urban, liberal, Democratic Maryland of Baltimore City, Annapolis and the D.C. suburbs that dominates state politics.
David Karol, an associate professor of government and politics at the University of Maryland, said it wasn’t always like this.
Karol said his students were surprised to learn that in the presidential election of 1988, Republican George H. W. Bush won Maryland while Democrat Mike Dukakis won West Virginia.
“Which, you know, is just shocking to students, because that’s a complete reversal of the alignment that we see today,” Karol said.
Credit: David Karol/University of Maryland
“We sent a letter and it became a dumpster fire, to be perfectly honest,” said McKay. “Everybody went crazy – ‘How are you leaving?’ Yada yada yada. And two of our members backed out. And the rest of us out of respect really just went our separate ways.”
McKay said his constituents are more aligned with West Virginia on abortion, too. He described himself as “pro-life” and said the Women’s Health Center of Maryland is not wanted or needed.
“I had a reporter from the Washington Post call me and do an interview, and she asked me, ‘How do you feel about this abortion clinic just moving across the state line, across the Potomac?’ I said, there’s never been a need for it. If there was a need for Planned Parenthood to move here, if there was actually this need, they would have been here by now. We have had women’s health clinics here for years. Probably 90 percent of everything that Planned Parenthood provides for women. And it’s important. That 90 percent is important to urban and rural women. It’s the abortion part that I say has been forced on our community, because Annapolis and Charleston had totally two different views, and our community has had to deal with the aftermath.” — Sen. Mike McKay
Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
“We did a market analysis and looked at what health care was available in those counties in mountain Maryland. And we found that not only was there not an abortion provider, the nearest abortion providers for the people living in mountain Maryland were at least 100 miles away in any direction. But there was also a real lack of reproductive health care, outside of a hospital system located in Cumberland. And then beyond that, we met directly with folks on the ground living and working in those communities to determine that, yes, there is a need here. Not only do we need abortion access, we need reproductive health care.” — Katie Quiñonez
Credit: Trey Kay/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
This is what abortion care has become after the fall of Roe: a state-by-state fight over access, where abortion rights are determined by the lines on a map. The state line that divides West Virginia and Maryland runs through mountain communities that are alike in their topography, their culture and their political affiliations.
But on one side of that state line, abortion is legal, while on the other side, abortion is a criminal offense.