According to a recent report, telehealth procedures for abortions, which are conducted at home using medication, have increased by an average of 28 percent year over year. These telehealth abortions now make up approximately 20 percent of all abortions.
The total number of monthly abortions in the United States is on the rise, despite stricter restrictions on the procedure in various states. The latest #WeCount data, released by the Society of Family Planning on August 7, reveals an average of 98,990 abortions per month during the first three months of 2024.
This figure represents a nearly 14 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023. The #WeCount project aims to assess the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in June 2022, which handed the issue of abortion back to the states.
Since the ruling, fourteen states have implemented bans on abortion with limited exceptions, while twenty-seven other states have imposed restrictions at various stages of pregnancy. Despite these laws, the national monthly abortion total surpassed 100,000 in January, a first since the inception of the #WeCount project.
The report attributes the rise in abortions to the significant increase in telehealth procedures, which have seen a 28 percent yearly increase to 19,700 per month, constituting around 20 percent of all abortions. In-person abortions, in contrast, experienced a slight 1 percent decrease.
Dr. Ushma Upadhyay, co-chair of #WeCount and a professor at the University of California San Francisco, highlighted the importance of telehealth abortion in providing care amidst restrictive conditions. She emphasized that in-person abortion services remain crucial, accounting for 80 percent of all abortions.
States with the largest declines in abortion rates post-Dobbs decision include Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Alabama, all of which have near-total abortion bans. Georgia specifically prohibits the procedure once a fetal heartbeat is detected, typically around six weeks of gestation.
States with the highest monthly abortion volumes include California, New York, Illinois, Florida, and New Jersey, with expectations of a decline in Florida following the implementation of a six-week abortion limit.
Dr. Alison Norris, co-chair of #WeCount and a professor at Ohio State University’s College of Public Health, emphasized the challenges faced by individuals in states with abortion bans, particularly in accessing in-person abortion care.
Challenges in Abortion Data Reporting
Collecting accurate abortion data in the U.S. is complex due to the lack of a federal reporting mandate. #WeCount gathered approximately 82 percent of its data directly from abortion providers and state health departments, with the remaining 18 percent estimated based on available information.
The report does not account for self-induced abortions outside of formal healthcare settings. Kristi Hamrick, vice president of media and policy at Students for Life of America, expressed concerns about the verifiability of the #WeCount data, citing challenges in reporting abortion data even in states with existing regulations.
Hamrick highlighted instances where reporting requirements for abortions resulting in live births were eliminated, raising questions about the protection of life in such cases. She emphasized the importance of legal protection for human lives based on inherent worth rather than potentially flawed reports.
Please rephrase the following sentence:
“I decided to go for a walk in the park because the weather was so nice.”
My decision to take a stroll in the park was influenced by the pleasant weather.
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