BMJ

Despite bans, U.S. abortion numbers climb

October 30, 2024

The Society of Family Planning’s #WeCount study analyzed changes in abortion access over the two years following the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn the constitutional right to abortion. Despite bans or severe restrictions in about half of states, abortions increased in all but three states. The study spanned from April 2021, when abortion was legal nationwide, to June 2024, using data from clinician-provided abortions in various settings, including clinics, private offices, hospitals, and virtual clinics.

The increase in abortions is attributed to the rise in medication abortions and telehealth prescribing under shield laws, which protect doctors who mail abortion medications to patients in restrictive states. Eight states, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New York, Vermont, and Washington, have enacted such laws. Texas, which banned abortions after six weeks in 2021, reported the highest number of telehealth medication prescriptions, averaging about 2,800 per month.

Since March 2023, there has been a consistent rise in abortions, with nearly 98,000 abortions per month in the first half of 2024, compared with 88,000 in 2023 and 81,400 in 2022. Medication abortions via telehealth under shield laws averaged 9,700 per month in the second quarter of 2024, a 5% increase from the first quarter, accounting for about half of all medication abortions nationally.

Source:

Tanne, JH. (2024, October 28). BMJ. US abortions have increased despite bans. https://www.bmj.com/content/387/bmj.q2384