US Abortion Rates Rise: Post-Roe v Wade Impact
- Wade, eliminating the federal right to abortion, the number of abortions performed in the United States continues to climb, even in states where the procedure is outlawed.
- Data released Monday by #WeCount, a project of the Society of Family Planning, indicates that U.S.
- "We were really surprised to see the numbers go up over time," said Ushma Upadhyay, a professor at the university of California, San Francisco, and co-chair of the...
Despite widespread abortion bans, US abortion rates are climbing. This unexpected trend is driven by the increasing use of telehealth and the protection offered by shield laws, as revealed by the latest data. News Directory 3 breaks down the numbers, showing a rise in telehealth abortions, with a quarter of all procedures now conducted virtually. Discover how shield laws are impacting access and what challenges lie ahead for abortion access and the availability of medication in the post-Roe era. Learn about the legal battles influencing the landscape. discover what’s next …
US Abortion Rates Rise Despite Bans; Telehealth Access Expands
Updated June 23,2025
Three years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, eliminating the federal right to abortion, the number of abortions performed in the United States continues to climb, even in states where the procedure is outlawed.
Data released Monday by #WeCount, a project of the Society of Family Planning, indicates that U.S. abortion providers performed 1.14 million abortions in 2024. This represents the highest number recorded in recent years.
“We were really surprised to see the numbers go up over time,” said Ushma Upadhyay, a professor at the university of California, San Francisco, and co-chair of the #WeCount steering committee. “Abortion bans haven’t really stopped people from needing abortion care. It’s just made it harder for them to be able to get them.”
While most abortions still occur in person, telehealth abortions are becoming increasingly prevalent, including for patients in states with near-total bans. Telehealth abortions involve a virtual consultation with a provider, followed by the delivery of abortion pills via mail. by December 2024, 25% of all abortions were conducted via telehealth, up from 19% the previous year.
More than 70,000 abortions were performed through telehealth in the final three months of 2024. These services are particularly popular in states with large rural populations, such as Montana, Nevada, and Hawaii.
The rise in telehealth abortions is largely attributed to the expansion of “shield laws.” These laws, enacted by at least eight states since the overturning of Roe, aim to protect abortion providers who treat patients from states with bans from prosecution.
Demand for shield-law abortions has surged in the past two years. in December 2024, providers operating under shield laws performed nearly 14,000 abortions for individuals residing in states with near-total bans or restrictions on telehealth abortions, compared to fewer than 6,000 in July 2023.
“There’s more abortion taking place in Mississippi today than there was prior to Dobbs,” said Dr. Angel Foster, co-founder of the Massachusetts Medication abortion Access Project (Map). Map utilizes shield laws to ship abortion pills to approximately 2,500 patients each month. “That really speaks to how little access some folks had to in-clinic abortion care prior to Dobbs and how shield law provision and telemedicine has really stepped into that space.”
#WeCount also gathered data on the number of abortions reported to government authorities in states with abortion bans in 2024. On average, states with total abortion bans saw only 30 in-person abortions per month, according to #WeCount.
While all abortion bans include exceptions for emergency situations, critics argue that these exceptions are often too narrow and vague to be practical. Since the fall of Roe,numerous women have reported being denied emergency abortions.
Upadhyay believes the #WeCount data supports the argument that these exceptions are insufficient.
“that seems very low,” Upadhyay said. “That is something that I think states with abortion bans should be paying attention to and be concerned about.”
The future of shield laws is uncertain, as anti-abortion activists challenge their legality in court. Texas has sued a New York doctor for allegedly mailing abortion pills to a woman in Texas, and Louisiana has indicted the same doctor for a similar offense.
Access to mifepristone,a common abortion drug,is also under threat. Martin Makary, the FDA commissioner, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,the U.S. health secretary, have called for a “review” of mifepristone, which is frequently used in telehealth abortions and has been deemed safe by numerous studies.Kennedy cited a flawed analysis promoted by anti-abortion groups that claimed higher complication rates from mifepristone use.
“Clearly, it indicates that, at very least, the label should be changed,” Kennedy told Missouri Senator Josh Hawley during a congressional hearing.
Despite these challenges,Foster remains optimistic about the future of her work.
“There will be a point where growth stops.There’s a finite number of people who have an abortion each year,” Foster said. “But I do think within our practice and within the shield law space we are anticipating that there will continue to be growth in demand.”
What’s next
The legal battles surrounding shield laws and access to mifepristone will likely continue to shape the landscape of abortion access in the U.S. in the coming years. Further data collection and analysis will be crucial to understanding the ongoing impact of abortion bans and the evolving role of telehealth.