A new report released by an abortion advocacy group suggests that the number of abortions in the United States is increasing even though abortion is now illegal in several states. Some pro-life groups are disputing such claims, however.
The Guttmacher Institute released data about the number of abortions performed in 2024 on Tuesday. The pro-abortion think-tank and former research arm of Planned Parenthood compiled the report based on its Monthly Abortion Provision Study that “collects data on procedural and medication abortions provided at brick-and-mortar health facilities (such as clinics or doctor’s offices), as well as medication abortions provided via telehealth and online-only providers in the United States.”
The report clarifies that its national estimates might not reflect the actual number of abortions performed as it doesn’t include information about abortions provided in states with total abortion bans. Nationwide, the Guttmacher Institute estimates that 1,038,100 abortions were performed in 2024, a 0.4% increase from the estimate of 1,033,740 abortions performed in 2023.
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2023 and 2024 mark the first two full years since the U.S. Supreme Court determined that the U.S. Constitution does not contain a right to abortion in the June 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson decision, which overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that made abortion legal nationwide. The increase in the estimated number of abortions performed in states without total abortion bans from 2023 to 2024 was much lower than the 11.1% rise measured from 2020-2023.
Randall O’Bannon, director of education and research for the pro-life group National Right to Life, disputed the figures in the new report in a statement on Tuesday, saying, “This isn’t the old Guttmacher report that surveys every clinic and tracks down every abortionist. Guttmacher is still relying a bit too heavily on abortionists, who were some of their most reliable sources before Dobbs, and giving too much credit to abortion pill sales by ‘virtual’ and online pill promoters.”
“That said, that they would report a figure similar to last year’s indicates that we’re not seeing a ‘growing market,’ that abortionists are not doing a lot more abortions, whatever the actual number of abortions really is. Other studies do show that lives are being saved in states with pro-life protections, regardless of what Guttmacher is reporting,” O’Bannon added.
In a statement reacting to the research, the study’s project lead, Isaac Maddow-Zimet, asserted, “Despite the Dobbs decision overturning the federal right to abortion in June 2022, Guttmacher data continue to show an increase in the number of clinician-provided abortions as compared to 2020.”
Following the Dobbs decision, several states implemented restrictions on abortion that either limited access to the procedure to the earliest weeks of pregnancy or amounted to near-total bans. The Guttmacher Institute’s report also included data about the number of abortions performed on out-of-state residents during 2023 and 2024, with the organization estimating a decrease in the number of people who traveled across state lines to obtain abortion from 169,700 in 2023 to 155,100.
While the number of people who traveled across state lines to obtain an abortion decreased at the national level, several states saw the number of people coming from outside the state for an abortion increase. Kansas saw the number of abortions performed on non-residents rise by 4,300, while the number of abortions performed on non-residents in Virginia increased by 3,300.
“The latest abortion travel data are a clear reminder that the impact of a state’s abortion policies extends far beyond its borders,” stated Kimya Forouzan, Guttmacher’s principal state policy advisor. “For instance, the substantial increase in out-of-state abortion patients in Virginia can likely be attributed to Florida’s six-week ban that went into effect in May 2024.”
According to Forouzan, who advocates for abortion access, “Despite being hundreds of miles away, Virginia is the second-closest state for Florida residents to seek an abortion after six weeks’ gestation and the closest without a mandatory waiting period.”
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
A new report released by an abortion advocacy group suggests that the number of abortions in the United States is increasing even though abortion is now illegal in several states. Some pro-life groups are disputing such claims, however.
The Guttmacher Institute released data about the number of abortions performed in 2024 on Tuesday. The pro-abortion think-tank and former research arm of Planned Parenthood compiled the report based on its Monthly Abortion Provision Study that “collects data on procedural and medication abortions provided at brick-and-mortar health facilities (such as clinics or doctor’s offices), as well as medication abortions provided via telehealth and online-only providers in the United States.”
The report clarifies that its national estimates might not reflect the actual number of abortions performed as it doesn’t include information about abortions provided in states with total abortion bans. Nationwide, the Guttmacher Institute estimates that 1,038,100 abortions were performed in 2024, a 0.4% increase from the estimate of 1,033,740 abortions performed in 2023.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.
2023 and 2024 mark the first two full years since the U.S. Supreme Court determined that the U.S. Constitution does not contain a right to abortion in the June 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson decision, which overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that made abortion legal nationwide. The increase in the estimated number of abortions performed in states without total abortion bans from 2023 to 2024 was much lower than the 11.1% rise measured from 2020-2023.
Randall O’Bannon, director of education and research for the pro-life group National Right to Life, disputed the figures in the new report in a statement on Tuesday, saying, “This isn’t the old Guttmacher report that surveys every clinic and tracks down every abortionist. Guttmacher is still relying a bit too heavily on abortionists, who were some of their most reliable sources before Dobbs, and giving too much credit to abortion pill sales by ‘virtual’ and online pill promoters.”
“That said, that they would report a figure similar to last year’s indicates that we’re not seeing a ‘growing market,’ that abortionists are not doing a lot more abortions, whatever the actual number of abortions really is. Other studies do show that lives are being saved in states with pro-life protections, regardless of what Guttmacher is reporting,” O’Bannon added.
In a statement reacting to the research, the study’s project lead, Isaac Maddow-Zimet, asserted, “Despite the Dobbs decision overturning the federal right to abortion in June 2022, Guttmacher data continue to show an increase in the number of clinician-provided abortions as compared to 2020.”
Following the Dobbs decision, several states implemented restrictions on abortion that either limited access to the procedure to the earliest weeks of pregnancy or amounted to near-total bans. The Guttmacher Institute’s report also included data about the number of abortions performed on out-of-state residents during 2023 and 2024, with the organization estimating a decrease in the number of people who traveled across state lines to obtain abortion from 169,700 in 2023 to 155,100.
While the number of people who traveled across state lines to obtain an abortion decreased at the national level, several states saw the number of people coming from outside the state for an abortion increase. Kansas saw the number of abortions performed on non-residents rise by 4,300, while the number of abortions performed on non-residents in Virginia increased by 3,300.
“The latest abortion travel data are a clear reminder that the impact of a state’s abortion policies extends far beyond its borders,” stated Kimya Forouzan, Guttmacher’s principal state policy advisor. “For instance, the substantial increase in out-of-state abortion patients in Virginia can likely be attributed to Florida’s six-week ban that went into effect in May 2024.”
According to Forouzan, who advocates for abortion access, “Despite being hundreds of miles away, Virginia is the second-closest state for Florida residents to seek an abortion after six weeks’ gestation and the closest without a mandatory waiting period.”
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
