Increase in Abortions Following Roe v. Wade Overturn

Increase in Abortions Post-Roe v. Wade Overturn

In a striking development, nearly every state that has implemented abortion bans has witnessed an increase in the number of women seeking abortions from 2020 through the end of 2023. This finding comes from the most comprehensive review of abortion statistics by state following the landmark overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Among the 13 states that introduced near-total abortion bans, the number of women obtaining abortions rose in all but three states. The increase can be attributed to several factors:

  • Many women traveled to neighboring states where abortion services remained legal.
  • Others opted to obtain abortion pills through online consultations with U.S. doctors, taking advantage of shield laws that safeguard healthcare providers who prescribe these medications to patients in states with restrictive laws.

The exceptions to this trend were observed in:

  • Texas: Here, the decrease was marginal.
  • Idaho: The decline was more pronounced.
  • Oklahoma: An unusually high number of abortions recorded in 2020 skewed the data, leading to a notable drop.

On a national scale, the study revealed that the overall number of abortions has continued to rise. In the first half of this year alone, about 587,000 abortions were performed, reflecting an increase of over 12 percent compared to the same period in 2023.

David S. Cohen, co-author of the forthcoming book “After Dobbs: How the Supreme Court Ended Roe but Not Abortion” and a law professor at Drexel University, remarked, “It’s a surprise to everyone. I think most people thought there would be creativity and determination that would still get a lot of people abortions once Roe v. Wade was overturned. But I don’t think anyone thought it would stay the same, let alone go up.”

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