(LifeSiteNews) — The historic ruling by the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, which empowered states to enforce laws that protect unborn lives, has led to dramatic changes in abortion trends and numbers – particularly on how abortions are performed – according to a new report from the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute.
The pro-abortion research entity reports that the number of abortion clinics in the United States has decreased, especially in states that have enacted and enforced stronger pro-life laws. Between 2020 and 2023, the number of clinics dropped 5 percent, from 807 to 765. In 14 states now enforcing total abortion bans, all clinics have closed, where there used to be a total of 63 clinics in 2020. This trend would vindicate a previous report from LifeSiteNews that there is indeed a tangible impact of laws designed to uphold the dignity and sanctity of all life, stopping abortions and saving lives in the process.
Unfortunately, states that still allow the murder of the unborn have seen a small increase in clinic numbers, suggesting a shift in focus for the abortion-industrial complex to states with a lack of protections for preborn babies.
In 2023, approximately 1,037,000 abortions were reported in states that have not implemented total abortion bans, an 11 percent increase from the 930,160 abortions recorded in 2020. If true, this would mark the highest recorded number of murdered unborn babies in a single year in over a decade. It is worth noting that these figures from the Guttmacher Institute exclude self-managed abortions.
While the number of abortion clinics continues to decline, new challenges for those advocating for the unborn have emerged as women increasingly turn to interstate travel, abortion pills, and other methods of self-induced abortion. The Guttmacher Institute reports that in 2023, medication abortions accounted for 63 percent of all clinician-provided abortions in states without total bans, a sharp rise from 53 percent in 2020.
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“Abortion pills” are a lethal combination of mifepristone and misoprostol, which are commonly prescribed by virtual clinics or even obtained online. Pro-life advocates argue that this approach dehumanizes the unborn child, reducing their life to a matter of convenience for the mother. A report from NBC News found that the rise of abortion pills, marketed as convenient and private, is primarily due to “a small network of medical providers who found ways to prescribe and ship abortion pills around the country from places where they’re still legal.”
Another concerning trend is the significant rise in women traveling across state lines for abortions. The Guttmacher Institute reports that 81,000 women traveled out of state for an abortion in 2020. In 2023, that number jumped dramatically to over 166,000.
Serra Sippel, the executive director of the Brigid Alliance, which offers resources and funds for interstate travel for abortion seekers, told NBC News: “It was kind of all hands on deck after [Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health] to get people the information and access to make sure that these abortion bans were not going to stop people from being able to access care.”
At the same time, however, some pro-lifers argue that the increase in travel shows that laws restricting abortion and closing abortion facilities are changing behavior, proving that legislation can and does save lives.
LifeSiteNews previously reported on new data from the CDC that would suggest abortions dropped 2 percent in 2022, the year the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade.