PoliticsAbortion

Actions

Number of abortions barely declined after Roe v. Wade was overturned, CDC says

The number dropped from about 622,000 abortions in 2021 to 609,000 in 2022, according to the data.
Abortion-rights and anti-abortion demonstrators gather outside of the Supreme Court
Posted

Despite a wave of state abortion bans after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, the number of abortions in the U.S. dropped just 2% that year.

The findings come from a new surveillance report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, its first since the landmark case was overturned.

The number dropped from about 622,000 abortions in 2021 to 609,000 in 2022, according to the data.

RELATED STORY | Planned Parenthood sees spike in demand for contraceptives after election

The vast majority took place before nine weeks of pregnancy and more than 70% were early medication abortions, which was consistent with numbers before Roe v. Wade was overturned, the CDC said. Over 6% of abortions took place 14 to 20 weeks into pregnancy, and about 1% took place at or after 21 weeks of pregnancy, according to the report.

Women in their 20s accounted for more than half of abortions and nearly 60% of the patients had also previously given birth, the CDC data said.

The report includes numbers from 47 areas of the U.S. that consistently present data.

RELATED STORY | Demand for certain morning after pills jump 966% after election