Report: US saw large drop in abortions after Dobbs

US clinics, private medical offices, and hospitals performed significantly fewer abortions after the US Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to an abortion under Roe v. Wade last summer, according to a new report.

The Society of Family Planning’s April 11 #WeCount findings estimated that 32,260 fewer abortions took place from July through December 2022 (an average of about 5,377 fewer per month), compared to the average monthly numbers observed prior to the court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

States that restricted or outlawed abortion—including Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, and Ohio—saw the largest declines in the procedure. Meanwhile, Florida, Illinois, and North Carolina—which are surrounded by states with abortion restrictions or bans—saw the largest increases in abortions during that period.

Jenny Higgins, a #WeCount steering committee member, told Healthcare Brew that it was “a little surprising” to see the gains in states not traditionally considered abortion safe havens. But, she noted, those increases “do not make up for all the decreases.”

“Over 5,000 fewer abortions per month are happening in the US compared to what we would expect pre-Dobbs—and it’s really important to note that pre-Dobbs was not a great situation,” said Higgins, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Wisconsin Madison. “Some people clearly have not been able to surmount the obstacles to get to those states to get [abortion] care.”

Other findings:

• The number of abortions provided by virtual clinic telehealth providers, in conjunction with medication, “increased from 3,610 in April 2022 (4% of all abortions) to 8,540 in December 2022 (11% of all abortions),” per the report.
• States with abortion bans saw “a cumulative total of 43,410 fewer people who had abortions.”
• States that permit abortion saw “a cumulative total of 11,150 more people who had abortions.”
• Florida had 7,190 more abortions in the six months after the Dobbs decision, compared to baseline data. Illinois had 6,840 more abortions during that period, while North Carolina had 4,730 more.
• West Coast and Northeast states where abortion remains legal with few restrictions did not see surges in abortions.

Methodology: The findings are based on state-level monthly volume data reported by US abortion providers, as well as estimates of missing abortions by state using various information sources. It does not include the number of abortions that occurred outside the formal healthcare system.