CDC reports 2% drop in abortions following Roe v. Wade overturn, sparking debates on women’s health access and state-level impacts.
At a Glance
- Total legal abortions in 2022: 613,383, a 2% decrease from 2021
- Abortion rate fell to 11.2 per 1,000 women aged 15-44, a 3% decrease
- 13 states ceased nearly all abortion services post-Roe overturn
- Black women had the highest percentage (39.5%) and rate (24.4 per 1,000) of abortions
- Guttmacher Institute reported over 1 million abortions in 2023, highest in a decade
Post-Roe Landscape: A Shifting Paradigm
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recent report on abortion rates in the United States reveals a complex picture of reproductive health access following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The 2% decrease in abortions in 2022 may seem modest, but it represents a significant shift in the landscape of women’s reproductive rights and health care access across the nation.
The overturning of Roe v. Wade has led to a patchwork of state laws, with 13 states ceasing nearly all abortion services and four implementing six-week bans. This has created a stark divide in abortion access across the country, forcing many women to travel across state lines to obtain services. The impact of these changes is not fully reflected in the 2022 data, as noted by Dr. Adam Jacobs: “Many of the bans did not go into place or a lot of the structural changes did not go into place in the calendar year of 2022, so I don’t think you would see that impact in this report”.
The Numbers Behind the Debate
The CDC report provides crucial insights into the demographics of abortion in America. Women in their 20s accounted for over half of the abortions in 2022, while Black women had the highest percentage (39.5%) and rate (24.4 per 1,000) of abortions.
Experts say it’s important to note that 78.6% of abortions were performed at 9 weeks gestation or earlier, and 87.7% were among unmarried women.
The Bifurcation of Access
The post-Roe era has led to a stark divide in abortion access across states. Isaac Maddow-Zimet of the Guttmacher Institute describes this as “a bifurcation of access,” where states with strict bans have reduced access while states with protective laws have increased access. This has resulted in a surge of interstate travel for abortion services, with an estimated 168,000 people crossing state lines for care in 2023, more than double the number from previous years.
The availability of abortion pills and telemedicine has helped maintain abortion numbers despite bans in some states. Eight states have enacted “shield laws” to protect providers mailing abortion pills to states with bans, highlighting the ongoing legal and ethical debates surrounding abortion access.
