In the United States, the number of abortions has fallen for the first time in decades. Analysts say this is a result of the 2022 repeal of the Roe v. Wade ruling, which had guaranteed women's abortion rights, allowing each state to ban or restrict abortion. Since that ruling, 12 states have imposed total bans on abortion and four states have set limits banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, increasing the number of areas where the procedure is effectively unavailable. The shift is seen as a combination of tougher state-level restrictions and the spread of telemedicine through shield laws.
According to reports on 30th (local time) by Time and Fortune on the findings of the Guttmacher Institute, a research group on sexual and reproductive health, there were about 518,940 clinician-provided abortions from January to June 2025 in states where abortion was not completely banned. That was down 5% from the same period a year earlier. During the same span, the number of people crossing state lines to obtain an abortion also fell 8%.
This is the first visible result since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which had recognized abortion as a constitutional right, in 2022. That ruling allowed state-level bans, jolting U.S. society, and abortions had since trended upward. The number of abortions in 2023 rose 11% from 2020, and the increase continued, albeit modestly, in 2024. This year, for the first time, that curve has turned downward.
Experts point to the "Shield Law" as a key factor behind the decline. It allows women living in states where abortion is banned to receive abortion pills via telemedicine and mail without traveling to another state. Isabel D'Ocampo, a researcher at the nonprofit Guttmacher Institute, emphasized that "shield laws play a key role in making abortion easier in the United States." However, the latest statistics do not include abortions obtained through shield laws or self-managed abortions, so the actual decline may be smaller.
Differences by state are stark. Florida introduced a strict law last year banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, and its abortion numbers plunged 27% this year. New York, by contrast, saw a slight decrease in total abortions but a 51% increase in pregnant people who traveled from other states for the procedure. That reflects an influx from Southern states that restricted abortion. Illinois also saw a drop in abortions, driven by a decrease in patients coming from other regions.
But the decline in abortions contrasts with public opinion. A survey by The Associated Press and the University of Chicago's NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 64% of U.S. adults said abortion should be legal in most or all cases. That is similar to the level before the 2022 ruling. While opinions on abortion have not shifted much, the actual number of procedures has swung sharply since the ruling.
Political leanings also showed up in the polling. Ninety percent of Democrats supported legal abortion, compared with 40% of Republicans. Still, in states with strong Republican leanings, more than 80% said abortion should be allowed in specific situations, such as rape or threats to the pregnant person's health.
Individual voices are also layered. Wilaysha White, 25, who lives in Ohio, said, "I didn't support abortion before, but my view changed after seeing a case in Georgia where a woman who had a miscarriage was arrested." White added, "It's more frightening when women's priorities aren't guaranteed in life-or-death situations." By contrast, Julie Reynolds, 66, a bank employee in Arizona, opposed abortion, saying, "Abortion is a moral issue."
Experts warn that the drop in abortion numbers does not simply mean reduced desire for abortion. Diana Greene Foster, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), noted, "There may be more cases where people wanted abortions but could not obtain them due to legal restrictions," adding, "This can exacerbate economic and health inequities for women."