Legal abortions increased in the United States in the first six months of the year compared with 2020.
New data shows that states with more permissive abortion laws absorbed patients traveling from those with bans. Access to abortion pills via telemedicine also continued to expand.
The research from the Guttmacher Institute offers the latest view of legal abortions since the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision last year upended access to abortion nationwide.
Initial data from the study show dramatic state-level changes in abortion provision compared with 2020.
"The post-Dobbs era has dramatically altered the abortion landscape in the United States, and all of us committed to protect access must do more to understand the real impact of abortion bans and restrictions," Dr. Herminia Palacio, president and CEO of Guttmacher, said in a statement. "Sadly, initial findings confirm a hierarchy of access to clinical care, based upon where a person lives and whether they have the resources to overcome geographical barriers."
The data suggests that thousands of women have crossed state lines to obtain an abortion in the face of restrictions at home, with abortion banned or unavailable in 14 states. It also indicates a rise in abortions among those living in states where the procedure is legal.
The study found that in states that enacted protective policies post-Roe -- such as Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois and Washington -- new estimates show an increase in abortion numbers as compared with data from 2020.
Many states that border or are in close proximity to states that banned abortion also saw an increase in monthly abortion counts, including Kansas, New Mexico and South Carolina, according to the data. Increases in these states are likely due in large part to out-of-state patients who had to travel for abortion care, the study noted.
The following changes are examples of major increases in abortion between 2020 and 2023 in states bordering ban states, many of which also enacted measures to protect abortion access since Roe was overturned:
• In Colorado (a state that has enacted several measures protecting abortion), abortions increased by 89% (or 5,990 abortions) compared with 2020. By contrast, abortions increased 8% in the previous three-year period between 2017 and 2020.
• In Illinois (a state that has enacted several protective measures), the number of abortions increased 69% (18,300 abortions) from 2020. By comparison, the increase observed between 2017 and 2020 was 25%.
• In New Mexico (a state that has enacted several protective measures), abortion numbers increased by 220% (6,480 abortions) from 2020. A 27% increase was observed between 2017 and 2020.
• In South Carolina (which borders Georgia, where an early gestational abortion ban is in effect), abortion incidence increased by 124% (3,270 abortions) from 2020. A 4% increase was observed between 2017 and 2020. However, abortion care in South Carolina will now be severely limited by a six-week abortion ban that went into effect on August 23, 2023.
• In Washington (a state that has enacted several protective measures), abortion increased by 36% (3,230 abortions) from 2020. Abortions increased 1% between 2017 and 2020.
The study pointed out that while the data emphasize critical state-level trends, they do not yet support a clearcut narrative on national abortion trends. Guttmacher says more research, including efforts to estimate abortions provided outside the formal U.S. health care system, is needed.
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