Legal abortions dropped by 32,000 after Roe v. Wade was overturned
Recent analysis shows that in the six months following the Supreme Court ruling to end the federal right to an abortion, the number of legal abortions was 32,000 lower than expected in the United States, CNN reports.
There were around 5,000 fewer abortions a month compared to the months before the ruling, "a drop of about 6 percent," CNN says. Before the ruling, in April and May, there was a monthly average of about 82,000 abortions, per the analysis. After the decision went into effect, from July to December, the number fell to an average of 77,000 monthly. "The total number of abortions fluctuated month-to-month," CNN summarizes, "but was always lower than it was in April."
WeCount collected the data for a research effort sponsored by the Society of Family Planning, an abortion rights nonprofit. Data was collected from abortion providers nationwide, including clinics, hospitals, private offices, and telehealth providers. Over 80 percent of known providers responded to WeCount. Though their report "represents the most complete accounting of legal abortions in America," The New York Times writes, "the researchers acknowledge that missing data from some clinics that have declined to share it may lead to small inaccuracies." The data was incomplete in 23 states.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The decline surpassed what some researchers predicted before Roe v. Wade was overturned. Obstacles created by new restrictions, such as "travel logistics and expenses, long wait times at some clinics and confusion or fear about laws," the Times adds, "seem to have prevented even more women than expected from obtaining legal abortions."
For many seeking an abortion, "the barriers that were in place were not surmountable," said Alison Norris, Ohio State professor of epidemiology and one of the report's authors. Many clinics have expanded their capacity to adjust to the fallout of the court's decision, she added. But "it's insufficient to manage the losses."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Theara Coleman has worked as a staff writer at The Week since September 2022. She frequently writes about technology, education, literature and general news. She was previously a contributing writer and assistant editor at Honeysuckle Magazine, where she covered racial politics and cannabis industry news.
-
'The House under GOP rule has become a hostile workplace'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
The Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal is about more than bad bets
In The Spotlight The firestorm surrounding one of baseball's biggest stars threatens to upend a generational legacy and professional sports at large
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Feds raid Diddy homes in alleged sex trafficking case
Speed Read Homeland Security raided the properties of hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Hong Kong passes tough new security law
Speed Read It will allow the government to further suppress all forms of dissent
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
France enshrines abortion rights in constitution
speed read It became the first country to make abortion a constitutional right
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Texas executes man despite contested evidence
Speed Read Texas rejected calls for a rehearing of Ivan Cantu's case amid recanted testimony and allegations of suppressed exculpatory evidence
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court wary of state social media regulations
Speed Read A majority of justices appeared skeptical that Texas and Florida were lawfully protecting the free speech rights of users
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Greece legalizes same-sex marriage
Speed Read Greece becomes the first Orthodox Christian country to enshrine marriage equality in law
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump and his lawyer Alina Habba have a rough day in defamation court
Speed Read Trump's audible grousing as E. Jean Carroll testified earned him a warning he could be thrown out of court, and Habba showed she 'doesn't know what the hell she's doing'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Anders Breivik to testify in prison isolation lawsuit against Norway
Speed Read Far-right fanatic who killed 77 people in 2011 claims he has received 'inhuman treatment' in custody
By The Week UK Published
-
Texas judge approves abortion of nonviable fetus, drawing threat from Texas attorney general
Speed Read Kate Cox petitioned to terminate her doomed pregnancy, salvaging her uterus and the option to try for more children
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published