Study examines how far US women must travel to get abortion

NEW YORK — How far do American women need to travel in order to obtain an abortion?

A new study makes those calculations state-by-state and reveals some striking disparities. In New York, the average distance is a little over three miles (about five kilometers), while the average distance in Wyoming is more than 168 miles (271 kilometers).

The analysis was conducted by researchers with the Guttmacher (GOOT'-mak-ur) Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights, using 2014 data on abortion clinic locations. The findings were published Tuesday in the journal Lancet Public Health.

In the states with the longest average distance to travel — Wyoming, North Dakota and South Dakota — at least half of women of reproductive age lived more than 90 miles (145 kilometers) from the nearest abortion clinic.