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Putting the cost of abortion into perspective

It's more than just the procedure itself.

MINNEAPOLIS — Let's say you are a woman living in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Let's say you have one child, who cannot be left alone.

You find yourself with a positive pregnancy test, and for whatever reason you decide that abortion is the route you need to take.

However, you live in South Dakota where trigger laws have immediately banned abortions after Roe has been overturned. 

So you need to travel.

Driving from Sioux Falls to the nearest abortion provider in Minneapolis is 234 miles with an average gas price of $4.71. It will cost you $61.23, saying you filled up once.

According to the Guttmacher institute, an abortion-rights research organization, the average cost of an abortion at 10 weeks of pregnancy -- without insurance -- is about $500. And at 20 weeks, the median cost was $1,195.

According to Planned Parenthood, the abortion procedure takes less than half an hour, but recommend a full day of rest, meaning you might need lodging for a night.

The cheapest place to stay near Minneapolis right now is a Super 8 by the airport at $63 per night. But then you need to drive back home, costing you another $61.23.

That brings the total to $685.46, without what you paid for childcare while you were gone, and not counting lost wages if your job didn't let you take time off.

If you choose to fly, that total changes to $801.

What about the abortion pill?

Because South Dakota also doesn't allow those either, you need to find the nearest place to stay in Minnesota in order to get the pill delivered to you.

Let's say you drive to Ortonville, Minnesota, close to the border, where there's an Econo Lodge that will set you back $56 a night.

You stay one night and fill up once both ways. 

The abortion pill will set you back $400 (it averages anywhere from $350 - $650 with insurance.)

That total comes to $517.23 without counting childcare for the days you were gone and possible lost wages.

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