Although the number of legal abortions decreased sharply in states with bans or restrictions, the overall number of abortions in the United States increased in the year since the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade.
According to a new report from the Society of Family Planning, which supports abortion access, the myriad state bans and restrictions on the controversial procedure that have been enacted since the high court's decision last June haven't brought the total number of abortions nationwide down.
New restrictions in states that border others with stringent restrictions could change that in the near future, however.
When compared to baseline data from April and May 2022, the report showed that there were nearly 117,000 more abortions in states where it's legal after six weeks between July 2022 and June 2023.
Conversely, in states that ban or restrict abortion after six weeks, there were approximately 115,000 fewer procedures.
According to the report, the states with the largest increases in abortion procedures were Illinois, at 21,500; Florida, at 20,460; North Carolina, at 11,830; California, at 8,810; and New Mexico, at 8,640.
States with the largest declines in abortions include Texas, at 36,970; Georgia, at 19,660; Tennessee, at 13,930; Louisiana, at 9,110; and Alabama, at 7,620.
The report noted that many of the states that saw large increases border those with abortion bans in place and serve as access points for people traveling out of state to obtain an abortion.
In the South, where abortion has been heavily restricted, North Carolina and Florida have served as major access points. Procedures performed in those states would likely drop substantially with the passage of new laws.
The Guttmacher Institute found that the number of abortions in North Carolina came down 31% the month after a 12-week ban became operative in July.
Last month, Florida's Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that could allow a six-week abortion ban signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis in April to take effect.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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