Where did abortion rates increase in 2023?

(NewsNation) — Abortion rates rose in 2023 as compared to 2020, and the highest increases were in states that have legalized abortion and border those where abortion is illegal or heavily restricted.

Analysis from the Guttmacher Institute found roughly 511,000 abortions occurred during the first six months of 2023, as compared to around 465,000 abortions during the same period in 2020.

The reproductive health landscape shifted dramatically after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022. In the wake of the Dobbs decision, several states passed total abortion bans or moved to restrict abortion to the earliest stages of pregnancy.

Every state where abortion remains legal saw an increase, but the largest increases were in states that specifically seek to serve as havens for reproductive health, like Illinois and New Mexico, which are also geographically situated near states where abortion is difficult or impossible to access.

Analysts with the institute suggest the change indicates patients are highly motivated to travel across state lines to obtain the care they need, although some localities have begun efforts to make such travel illegal.

To determine the number of abortions, Guttmacher created a model that used data from a sample of providers in each state and combined it with historical caseloads. There are limitations to that data, which cannot track self-administered abortions in the early stages of pregnancy or where people may have obtained abortion medication from sources outside the U.S. or through community networks.

There are 14 states where abortions are essentially impossible to obtain due to bans, a lack of providers or legal uncertainty as bans make their way through the court system. In 2020, those states performed 113,000 abortions, indicating how many people may be affected by abortion laws.

Illinois saw a 69% increase in abortions, while New Mexico saw a 220% increase in the number of procedures. Both states border those where abortion is restricted or banned.

The reproductive health landscape also continues to shift rapidly, creating regions where patients must travel longer distances to obtain a legal abortion.

South Carolina, for example, saw a 124% increase in abortions during the first six months of the year but recently passed a law banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, which took effect in August. North Carolina also instituted new limits on abortion in July, leaving Virginia the Southern state with the least restrictions.

Guttmacher will continue tracking data over time to help determine the impacts of laws restricting abortions, noting in its analysis that many patients cannot afford to travel long distances for care.