Blue states want to become abortion safe havens. It will cost them.

Groups that operate clinics and run abortion access funds warn that they’ll need more money, more providers and more space to help care for the influx of people who will cross state lines to seek abortions. That means states hoping to protect access need to move fast to expand provider networks and deliver the financial support needed.

Abortion rights advocates whose organizations have spent months or years building capacity and raising funds in anticipation of Roe’s demise still struggle to quantify exactly how much more money and resources they’ll need given the unprecedented nature of the situation. But they know this: They are already stretched thin and, in some places, are unable to keep up with needs. And adding more clients from states that ban abortion will exacerbate existing problems…

“We’ve seen a tremendous need in Texas … and we can’t keep up with the demand there,” said Melissa Fowler, chief program officer for the National Abortion Federation, which runs the largest patient assistance fund in the country, in an interview. “If many more states restrict abortion, we’re going to have to help so many more people travel across state lines. That can be a huge burden.”