Study finds slight increase in US abortion rates following overturning of Roe v. Wade
Termination was slightly more prevalent across the United States in the initial three months of this year than it was prior to the Supreme Court invalidated Roe v. Wade and authorized states to enforce prohibitions, a report issued on Wednesday revealed.
A significant cause for the escalation is that certain Democratic-governed states instituted regulations to safeguard physicians who use telehealth to consult with patients in regions with abortion restrictions, according to the quarterly #WeCount report for the Society of Family Planning, which advocates for abortion access.
The information emerges before the November elections where proponents of abortion rights anticipate that the matter will motivate voters to participate. In various regions, voters will have an opportunity to endorse or reject abortion protections at the state level.
Consequences from the Supreme Court’s June 2022 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization have reshaped the landscape of abortion practices throughout the nation. The #WeCount data, gathered monthly since April 2022, illustrates how providers and seekers of abortion have adjusted to evolving regulations.
The study discovered that the number of terminations dropped to nearly zero in states that prohibit abortion in every phase of pregnancy and decreased by approximately half in regions that ban it post-six weeks of pregnancy, prior to many women realizing their pregnancy. Fourteen states are enforcing prohibitions on abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with certain exceptions, and four others forbid it post approximately six weeks of pregnancy.
Figures rose in regions where abortion remains legal until later stages of pregnancy — notably in states like Illinois, Kansas, and New Mexico, which neighbor states with prohibitions.
Abortion medications and telehealth are crucial. In March, healthcare professionals in states with statutes guarding medical practitioners employed telehealth to prescribe abortion medications to nearly 10,000 patients in states with prohibitions or constraints on abortion via telehealth — representing about 1 in 10 terminations in the U.S.
Statutes protecting medical practitioners who employ telehealth to prescribe abortion medications began to take effect in certain Democratic-governed states last year.
“It alleviates the burden on clinics,” stated Ushma Upadhyay, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine who co-leads #WeCount. “Thus, it generates more room for individuals visiting clinics.”
Opponents of abortion assert that the battle over the termination medication mifepristone is ongoing following a narrow Supreme Court decision that presently maintains access to it. However, there have not been legal disputes yet to protect statutes.
The most recent version of the survey encompasses the first three months of this year. January marked the first instance since the survey’s inception that it recorded more than 100,000 terminations nationwide in a single month.
Before the protective statutes began to be enforced and #WeCount commenced counting them, individuals were still acquiring some medications in regions with prohibitions.
Upadhyay mentioned that even before the collapse of Roe, the demand for termination exceeded availability. She also noted that despite the shifting trends, some women are opting to continue pregnancies they would have terminated if they had the opportunity.
One of the states where terminations rose was Florida. That altered in April, when a prohibition post-six weeks’ gestation was enforced. The data has not yet reflected that modification.
The policy could undergo further changes via a November ballot initiative that would legalize termination until viability, typically estimated to be around 23 or 24 weeks into pregnancy. It would necessitate at least 60% approval to incorporate it into the state constitution.
One vote against it will come from Mia Adkins, a 20-year-old senior at Florida International University. She said the overturning of Roe and changes in Florida’s law have brought more attention to termination and have reinforced her belief that there should be restrictions.
“Instead of advocating for more termination legal at later stages of pregnancy, we should be advocating for statutes that safeguard these expectant parents and students and provide them with the assistance they require,” said Akins, a senior at Florida International University.
Florida is one of six states where measures related to termination are already on the ballot. Verdicts from election officials regarding incorporating similar inquiries are pending in four additional states. In Nebraska, there are conflicting amendments: One to permit access until viability and one to maintain the current policy, which prohibits most terminations post-12 weeks of pregnancy.
Advocates for abortion rights have emerged victorious in all seven termination referendum questions in the U.S. since 2022. This aligns with public opinion polls indicating growing support for termination rights, including a recent Associated Press-NORC survey that discovered 6 in 10 Americans believe their state should allow individuals to undergo a legal termination if they do not wish to be pregnant for any reason.
An amendment to safeguard access could appear on the ballot in Arizona, a battleground state where legal cases have influenced termination policies — and access — since the Dobbs ruling.
The state Supreme Court ruled in April that Arizona should uphold an 1864 prohibition on terminations at all stages of pregnancy, only for legislators to revoke that law. The state’s prohibition on termination post-15 weeks of pregnancy stands. The ballot initiative would extend it to 24 weeks.
Natalie Harper, a 23-year-old independent who typically refrains from voting, stated that the potential restoration of the Civil War-era prohibition “absolutely” influences her decision to participate in the elections and endorse the ballot measure this November. “Seeing that as a possibility really made me realize that everyone’s pro-choice voices need to be heard in hopes it never goes in that direction again,” she said.
In Missouri, which has prohibited nearly all terminations and where almost none were reported in the latest data, election officials could soon confirm if a proposed constitutional amendment guaranteeing termination rights garnered enough signatures to qualify for the ballot in the reliably Republican state.
Peverill Squire, a political scientist at the University of Missouri, stated that if the measure is presented to voters, it could attract sufficient Democratic voters to influence a few competitive legislative races.
“They can capitalize on the personal freedom arguments that Republicans have generally dominated in recent elections,” he stated.
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