Summary:
- U.S. abortions have increased since state-level bans were enacted.
- Telehealth services have expanded access to abortion pills, contributing to the rise.
- The Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturned the nationwide right to abortion.
The number of abortions in the U.S. has risen since the Supreme Court allowed states to enforce strict bans on the procedure, according to a new study. The Society of Family Planning (SFP) reports that the average number of abortions per month in the first quarter of 2024 reached 98,990, surpassing figures from 2022 and 2023.
A significant factor in this increase is the expanded availability of abortion pills through online telehealth services. The study noted that the percentage of abortions conducted via telehealth grew from 4% to 20% nationwide since April 2022.
The conservative-leaning U.S. Supreme Court overturned the nationwide right to abortion in June 2022. In response, many Republican-led states quickly moved to restrict or ban the procedure outright.
Even when excluding abortions provided under state “shield laws,” the study found an increase. The average monthly number of abortions from January to March 2024 was 89,770, compared to 86,967 during the same period in 2023.
