Illinois, Florida, California saw largest increase in abortions in first 15 months after Roe v. Wade

(NEW YORK) — Illinois, Florida and California had the largest total increases in the number of abortions performed in the first 15 months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, according to data gathered in the WeCount report released by the Society of Family Planning on Wednesday.

Researchers estimate that more than 120,000 people were not able to get abortion care from a provider in their state in the first 15 months after Roe was overturned, according to Dr. Ushma Upadhyay, WeCount co-chair and professor at the University of California, San Francisco.

Illinois had more than 28,000 more abortions than expected in the first 15 months after Roe was overturned, compared to data prior to the Supreme Court decision. In June 2023 alone, Illinois saw a 45.4% increase in the number of abortions compared to April 2022.

Florida had over 15,000 more abortions than expected in the first 15 months after Roe was overturned. In June 2023 alone, Florida saw a 48.2% increase in the number of abortions performed in the state compared to April 2022, before Roe was overturned.

California had over 12,000 more abortions than expected in the first 15 months after Roe. The state saw an 11.2% increase in the number of abortions performed in June 2023 alone, compared to April 2022.

While the majority of the surges in the number of abortions were in states that bordered bans, the report also found increases in states distant from bans including New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts.

Meanwhile, the report found that there were only 10 abortions performed in Texas in June 2023, a sharp 99.7% decline when compared to April 2022.

In the 14 states that have ceased nearly all abortion services, there were over 120,000 fewer abortions compared to before Roe was overturned. The states with the greatest decline in abortion volume include Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana and Alabama, according to the report.

The report highlighted that 16% of all abortion care provided nationwide was provided via Telehealth. In September 2023 there were 13,770 Telehealth abortions.

“For people who are not able to travel from a state with an abortion ban some have gotten medication abortion through mail, as described in the telehealth data. Others have been forced to remain pregnant against their will,” Upadhyay said.

“We don’t know from our WeCount data, what happens to the people who can’t get out of their states and don’t get pills by mail, or how many of them are forced to stay pregnant,” Upadhyay said.