Last updated on December 19, 2025
Maryland is characterized as a most protective state by the Guttmacher Institute.
Abortion is protected with no gestational duration limits. Maryland has a shield law protecting abortion providers from investigations or prosecutions by other states. The state constitution protects the right to an abortion.
In the US, people who are not white and people with low incomes are more likely to experience barriers to reproductive health care access.
IN THIS STATE
As of 2023, 1.3 million women1 are of reproductive age in Maryland.
- 9.0 percent are low income (lower than the national average)
- 13.2 percent are likely eligible for Medicaid because their income is at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level (lower than the national average)
- 58.1 percent are nonwhite, and Black people (31.3 percent) are the largest nonwhite group (both higher than the national average)
- 8.7 percent are uninsured (lower than the national average)
Maryland has expanded Medicaid and thus provides coverage to adults with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) and pregnant women up to 264 percent of FPL. Maryland has extended pregnancy-related Medicaid coverage up to 12 months postpartum. Maryland is using state funds to cover abortion for Medicaid beneficiaries. Maryland also covers family planning services for people not otherwise eligible for Medicaid with incomes up to 264 percent of FPL.
Accessing Abortion Care
In 2020, 23 clinics provided abortions. In 2025, 28 clinics provided abortions. This number does not include hospitals or telehealth providers.
Crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) are organizations—often operated by anti-abortion, nonmedical, and/or religiously affiliated groups—that aim to deter pregnant people from certain reproductive health care services, including abortion and some contraceptive methods. In 2023, there were 39 CPCs in Maryland.
Patients face the following restrictions on abortion access:
Abortion providers face the following restrictions that limit their ability to practice:
Accessing Contraceptive Care
According to Power to Decide, around 285,000 women of reproductive age in Maryland live in contraceptive deserts, putting them at increased risk of a mistimed or unintended pregnancy.
Maryland has the following protections for contraception access:
What to Watch For
During the November 2024 election, 76 percent of Maryland voters approved the Right to Reproductive Freedom amendment, establishing a “fundamental right to reproductive freedom,” including the ability to “prevent, continue, or end one’s own pregnancy." In January 2025, Governor Moore signed a proclamation enshrining this fundamental right in the state constitution.
1 Though we use the terminology of woman/women, we recognize that not all individuals capable of pregnancy identify as women.
