Recent data shows that the number of abortions in the United States exceeded 1 million last year. This increase happened after the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the decision made in Roe v. Wade.
The ruling by the high court in June 2022 granted states greater power to limit abortion. According to the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization that supports abortion rights, 14 states have banned the procedure with some exceptions. Seven more states have passed laws that limit access to abortion based on how far along a pregnancy is.
According to the Monthly Abortion Provision Study by the institute, the number of abortions in the U.S. increased by 10% between 2020 and 2023, reaching a total of 1,026,690, despite the changing situation. The abortion rate in the United States is estimated to be 15.7 per 1,000 girls and women between the ages of 15 and 44. This is about a 5% increase from the rate of 14.4 per 1,000 reported in 2020.
The total number of abortions is probably lower than the actual number, as it only includes those that happened in official healthcare facilities like clinics and doctor’s offices, or through telehealth and virtual care providers. This does not include self-managed abortions or the delivery of medication to patients in states where all abortions are prohibited.
Meanwhile, states that do not share a border with a state that has banned abortions experienced a 17% increase in the number of abortions. Last year, Guttmacher data revealed that medication abortions made up 63% of all abortions in the formal U.S. health care system, which amounts to 642,700 abortions. The percentage has increased from 53% in 2020.
Here are the 15 states with the most abortions in 2023, according to estimates from the Guttmacher Institute.
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US States With the Highest Abortions
- California – 178,420 abortions
- New York – 131,440 abortions
- Illinois – 90,790 abortions
- Florida – 86,340 abortions
- New Jersey – 58,420 abortions
- North Carolina – 44,820 abortions
- Maryland – 38,420 abortions
- Pennsylvania – 36,880 abortions
- Michigan – 36,460 abortions
- Virginia – 32,930 abortions
- Georgia – 32,580 abortions
- Colorado – 24,690 abortions
- Washington – 23,870 abortions
- Ohio – 23,770 abortions
- Massachusetts – 21,430 abortions
Conclusion
The number of abortions in the US exceeded 1 million last year, a 10% increase from 2020 to 2023, according to the Guttmacher Institute. The abortion rate is estimated to be 15.7 per 1,000 girls and women aged 15-44, a 5% increase from 2020. Medication abortions made up 63% of all abortions in the formal US healthcare system.
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