A year after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to abortion, the number of legal abortions has increased across the country. This is despite many states banning abortion altogether or limiting access to six weeks.
Latest information from Family Planning Association WeCount Report The year after Dr. Dobbs found that there were nearly 117,000 additional legal abortions in the 35 states where abortion is still legal. In the 14 states with either outright bans or six-week bans, legal abortions decreased by nearly 115,000.
The report tracked abortions performed in U.S. hospitals, clinics, private clinics, and virtual clinics over a one-year period from July 2022 to June 2023.
Researchers suggest the slight increase in abortions is due to the expansion of telehealth abortion services and the availability of more assistance for people seeking abortions out of state. .
States that have passed outright bans on abortion, such as Wisconsin and Missouri, have reduced the number of legal abortions to zero. WeCount’s report notes that for abortions performed outside the health care system, where people cross borders to seek care or self-administer abortions using drugs ordered online from overseas pharmacies, Not tracking. Data also shows that online pill orders increased after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Authority decision.
In states such as Illinois and Kansas, which are surrounded by prohibition states, the number of legal abortions increased significantly. Illinois experienced the largest increase in abortions in the year following the Dobbs decision, with an increase of 21,500 abortions. According to the WeCount report, Illinois served as an access point for people traveling from other states to receive medical care. In Kansas, the number of abortions increased by 5,340 during the same period.
Even in states where abortion is legal, many facilities have expanded capacity and new clinics have opened, including in Illinois and Kansas. Some facilities now offer telemedicine services and virtual clinics to provide affordable abortion care remotely.
The report shows a significant increase in abortions being provided in virtual-only clinics. The number of these abortions increased from an average of 4,045 abortions per month before the Dobbs decision to an average of 6,950 abortions a year later. These abortions now account for more than 8% of all abortions nationwide.
Several states have passed new laws to expand access to abortion and protect abortion providers. This includes policies that require insurance coverage for abortions and laws that fund abortion care for out-of-state residents.
monthly, Chicago Abortion Fund Chicago Executive Director Megan Jaffo said in a news release that the clinic has helped more than 500 people in Illinois and more than 500 more who come to the clinic from other states.
She said the organization provides assistance for people seeking abortions, including transportation, child care, meals and appointment costs. But Jayfo said the services being provided were not a sustainable solution, she said.
“We are committed to filling the gap, but let me be clear: this is a band-aid on a gaping wound,” Jayfo said. She said systemic change is needed and the organization is calling on policymakers to address the crisis.
Abortion was still legal, but Indiana Until August 2023, abortions continued to decline in the state the year after the Dobbs decision. The state passed a near-total abortion ban in August 2022 and went into effect for one week in September, but it was ultimately put on hold for nearly a year as the law’s constitutionality was challenged in state court. Ta.about number 5 A larger share of the people getting abortions in Indiana in 2022 will be out-of-state, most of them from Kentucky, where a near-total ban will be in place starting August 2022.
Abortion was banned in Ohio for the first two months after Dobbs, but abortion is now legal if the pregnancy is less than 22 weeks old. Still, since the Dobbs ruling, the state has seen a decline in abortions by 5,120 per year.
The Ohio Supreme Court is currently in the process of deciding the legality of a ban on abortion beyond six weeks, before most women realize they are pregnant.Court could reinstate the ban in just a few weeks Voters decide whether to enshrine the right to abortion The constitution was enacted on November 7th.
Some states with abortion bans, such as Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and North Dakota, have seen significant declines in abortions. The average number of abortions provided each month was in the single digits, with Missouri at least one and South Dakota reaching zero.
Planned Parenthood will continue to track abortions through 2024.
Taylor Wizner of Ideastream Public Media contributed reporting.
Contact reporter Darian Benson. [email protected].
Side Effects Public Media is a health reporting collaboration based at WFYI in Indianapolis. We are affiliated with his NPR stations in the Midwest and surrounding areas, including KBIA and KCUR in Missouri, Iowa Public Radio, Ideastream in Ohio, WFPL in Kentucky, and KOSU in Oklahoma. .
