More American women have had abortions each year since the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion in June 2022 and returned decisions to individual states, the Society of Family Planning has found.
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An analysis by the society shows how abortion access has changed in the two years since the court’s decision.
2 Abortions have increased in all but three states even though it is banned or severely limited in about half.
The study, called #WeCount, reported changes in abortion access during the 24 months following the Supreme Court’s decision. It covers the period from April 2021, when abortion was legal nationwide, to June 2024. The study used data collected by states, including clinician provided abortions (including medication or procedural abortions) in a clinic, private medical office, hospital, or virtual clinic.
The study found that abortions increased because of a rise in the use of medication abortions and because of telehealth prescribing under shield laws. These laws give legal protection to doctors who prescribe abortion medication sent by mail to patients in states that ban or limit abortion. Eight states—California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New York, Vermont, and Washington—have passed shield laws.
The highest number of medication prescriptions through telehealth and sent by mail were in Texas—about 2800 per month. In 2021 Texas banned abortions after six weeks, even before the Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to abortion.
