Why Have Abortions Risen in the US?

More states limited access to abortion following the reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022. Two years later, abortions in the U.S. have risen.

The Details: A report from the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights advocacy group, says over 1 million abortions occurred in the U.S. in 2023. "This represents a rate of 15.7 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age, and is a 10% increase since 2020," according to the report. Medication abortions using pills like mifepristone accounted for 63% of all U.S. abortions in 2023, a jump from 53% in 2020.

Better Access: The Economist (Lean Left bias) highlighted how Roe's reversal ruling gave cities like New York "new energy to take a much more active role in co-ordinating access to the procedure," and suggested that "one of the most positive things to come out of Dobbs may well turn out to be improved access in states with a supportive approach to abortion."

Government Deception: Many voices on the right criticized the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and pharmacies for purportedly pushing abortion pills and ignoring safety concerns. In 2021, "the FDA eliminated the requirement that the drugs be dispensed during an in-person office visit," said a writer for National Review (Right bias). "This means that women can take these high-risk drugs without ever being seen by a health-care provider and physically examined for dangerous contraindications such as ectopic pregnancy."