What the data show on striking down Roe

The Supreme Court has spoken: Abortion is no longer a constitutional right. This permits states to be the ultimate arbiter of abortion, creating a red and blue collage of abortion access across the nation. 

Putting aside for the moment the moral, ethical and religious debates surrounding abortion, what does the data say that can help guide us as we move forward from this decision? Like all laws and policies, there are certain to be unintended consequences. 

Trends: The number of reported legal abortions in the United States peaked in 1990 at around 1.6 million, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Since that time, the annual numbers have steadily declined, reaching a low of around 900,000 in 2018. The abortion rate (abortions per 100,000 women of childbearing age) has followed a similar downward trajectory. It remains to be seen how overturning Roe v. Wade will change this.