After more than 30 years of decline, abortions rose 8 percent in the U.S. from 2017-2020, according to a June 15 report from the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health policy and and research organization.
There were 930,160 abortions in the U.S. in 2020, up from 862,320 abortions in 2017, marking an 8 percent increase. The abortion rate also increased from 13.5 abortions per 100,000 women of child-bearing age in 2017 to 14.4 in 2020 — a 7 percent increase. Researchers cited several possible reasons for the increase, such as some states expanding Medicaid coverage of abortion care and an increase in local and national funds to cover the procedure.
The report is based on abortion data collected from both healthcare facilities that provide abortions and state health departments.
"The need for abortion is growing at the same time that the Supreme Court is getting ready to strike down Roe v. Wade, which will allow states to ban abortion," Rachel Jones, PhD, lead study author and principal research scientist at the Guttmacher Institute, told The Los Angeles Times.
The Supreme Court is expected to release its decision on the case that could overturn Roe v. Wade in July. Politico first reported on the matter in May, after it obtained a copy of a draft opinion indicating the Supreme Court was poised to strike down the 1973 decision.