In the United States, there were approximately 32,000 fewer abortions than anticipated in the six months following the Supreme Court decision that terminated the federal right to an abortion, according to a new analysis.
On average, there were 5,000 fewer legal abortions per month than in the months prior to the ruling, a decrease of about 6%.
According to the analysis, there were an average of 82,000 abortions per month in April and May. This decreased to an average of 77,000 abortions per month from July to December. The total number of abortions varied from month to month, but was consistently lower than in April.
The Society of Family Planning, a non-profit organisation specialising in abortion and contraception, sponsored a study that gathered data from abortion providers across the nation, including clinics, private medical offices, hospitals, and virtual clinics. Over eighty percent of known providers responded. Outside of the formal health care system, self-managed abortions were excluded from the analysis.
Misoprostol pills, used to terminate early pregnancies, are depicted in this 20 June 2022 photograph.
The suspension of mifepristone approval would not spell the end of abortion medication.
In the 13 states that enacted bans as a result of the Supreme Court’s decision, the number of abortions dropped by more than 95%, with only a handful reported each month between July and December. In the remaining states, however, the average number of abortions increased marginally. There were increases in some of these states, such as Minnesota and Kansas, indicating that residents of states with more restrictions may travel for medical care.
“Those unable to surmount travel obstacles likely have the fewest socioeconomic resources,” the report’s authors wrote. “Small declines in the abortion rate still have enormous effects on the lives of those afflicted,”
While the aggregate number of abortions decreased, the number of abortions performed virtually through telehealth increased each month and accounted for an increasing proportion of all abortions. In December, there were more than 8,500 telehealth abortions, more than double the number in April.
Prior research determined that the average travel time for women in the United States to reach an abortion facility increased substantially after the Supreme Court decision. Within the first month, dozens of clinics closed, and the average travel time to the nearest facility more than tripled.
