A new report by the Society of Family Planning has revealed a significant decrease in the number of legal abortions performed in the United States in the six months after the Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade and handed power over abortion laws to states.
Following the ruling, some states have been able to enact stricter abortion laws, leading to a decrease in legal abortions in the country.
The United States saw 32,000 fewer abortions in the six months after the U.S. Supreme Court issued the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, according to a report. https://t.co/AowshXpaIp
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According to the report, there were 32,000 fewer abortions in the six months after the ruling, with an average of 5,377 fewer abortions each month. The national abortion rate in the U.S. also experienced a decline from 13.2 per 1,000 women of reproductive age in April. Within the same time span, the rates decreased to 12.3 per 1,000 women.
The decrease in clinical abortions is more significant in states with strong pro-life laws and abortion bans in place. In these states, the cumulative total of fewer abortions stands at 43,410, with a monthly average of 7,235 fewer abortions in the wake of the Dobbs decision.
While pro-life states have seen a massive decline in abortion in the six months after the Dobbs ruling, pro-choice states where abortions are permitted recorded 11,150 more clinical abortions. The largest increases came from Illinois, Florida, Colorado, Michigan and North Carolina.
The decrease in overall abortions in the country seems to have strengthened the market for virtual abortion services, as the report indicates that the number of abortions conducted by virtual clinic telehealth providers saw an increase from 3,610 (4% of all abortions) to 8,540 (11% of all abortions) in six months.
The study collected data from abortion providers nationwide, including hospitals, clinics, virtual clinics and private medical offices. Having bagged 80 percent of known providers as respondents, the Society of Family Planning stated that the analysis did not include self-managed abortions or ones that occurred outside of the healthcare system.
This report is seen as significant because it is one of the first to provide data on the impact of the Dobbs decision on abortion access. While it remains to be seen how much more impact the Roe v. Wade overturning might have on abortions, the findings may inform ongoing debates around abortion in the United States.
