In the months since the U.S. Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for abortion by overturning Roe v. Wade, there have been 10,670 fewer legal abortions in the country, a decline of 6%.
A report from the Society of Family Planning, an abortion and contraceptive advocacy group, found 5,270 fewer legal abortions in July and 5,400 fewer in August compared to April. That’s a 6% decrease, concentrated in states where abortion is now restricted or banned.
Prior to the June decision, 13 states had so-called “trigger bans” meant to go into effect if the court overturned Roe, the landmark 1973 case. A total of 26 states were considered “certain or likely” to end or restrict abortion, jeopardizing access for about 33 million women.
The number of legal abortions provided in states that restricted or banned it dropped by almost 22,400 in July and August, the report found. The drop was most significant in the south: Clinicians in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas provided 270 abortions in August, a 96% drop compared to April.
At the same time, states that planned to protect abortion saw almost 12,000 more procedures during those same months, evidence that some are traveling to obtain the procedure legally. The report noted that such travel can be difficult and expensive, and potentially require additional funds for hotel rooms and child care for patients’ existing children, as well as time off work.
Abortion funds have offered help to those who need it, including people who don’t work for companies that have promised to fund travel costs for abortions. But the demand is outpacing donations.
