U.S. abortion totals rising despite many saves, report says

The national average of abortions per month exceeded 100,000 for the first time since the Supreme Court’s 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, according to a report released Wednesday. Data from January to March of 2024 showed the highest volume of abortions compared to the same months of the previous two years, the pro-abortion Society of Family Planning said. Researchers noted the national increase despite 14 states now enacting near-total protection of unborn babies. The group estimated that the pro-life states protected over 200,000 babies from abortion since the Dobbs vs. Jackson ruling, at a rate of nearly 10,000 a month. The report’s authors credited so-called telehealth abortions for the numbers rising while some states enacted pro-life laws. Abortion providers can virtually consult with patients and send abortion-inducing drugs by mail. Abortions managed by remote consultations have grown by over 15 percent nationally since Dobbs, according to the report.

How seriously are pro-life analysts taking the data? Randall K. O’Bannon, Director of Education & Research at the National Right to Life Educational Trust Fund, said that because abortion pills are shipped to women’s homes, knowing exactly how many unborn babies have been aborted is difficult. He told WORLD that abortions were already increasing in the years just before Dobbs due to the proliferation of chemical methods. Increases were likely “particularly in those states where abortion not only remained legal but was promoted by the state,” he said. “Some states even advertised abortion services and financial aid.” Michael New, senior associate scholar at the Charlotte Lozier Institute, questioned the accuracy of the society’s data. Before Dobbs, the Society of Family Planning had no experience estimating abortions in the United States, he told WORLD.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report on a rise in self-induced abortions after Dobbs.