Abortion Facts
Based on accumulative data from the two primary sources of U.S. abortion statistics (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Guttmacher Institute), the United States had around under 1,000,000 abortions a year. Since 1973, we estimate more than 63 million abortions have been performed in the United States.
In 2023, an estimated 1,037,000 abortion were performed in states that do not have total abortion bans. That is an increase of 11% since 2020, when the estimated total was 930,160.
- Based on data from 2021, about 1 in 4 women (24%) will have an abortion by age 45.
- Additionally, more than half (61%) of all U.S. abortion patients are in their twenties.
- Adolescents make up around 12% of abortion patients.
- About 6 out of every 10 women who have an abortion (59%) already have one or more children.
- 51% of abortion patients were using contraception during the month they became pregnant.
- It’s estimated that more than half of the patients who receive an abortion pay for it out of pocket.
Post Roe America Research
In June 2022, a landmark Supreme Court case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned and reversed Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992). The federal Constitutional right for an abortion has been struck down. Now, abortion laws are being decided on a state-by-state basis.
According to recent 2024 research,
- As of December 2023, 14 states have some type of abortion ban in place.
- 22 states and Washington DC adopted shield laws in favor of abortion being protected and expanded.
- In 2023 state legislature, 754 provisions that protect or expand abortion care were introduced. As of December 2023, 129 of those provisions passed. This was a record breaking number compared to 2022 when 77 pro-abortion state provisions passed or 2021 when 10 passed.
America's Pro-Life vs Pro-Choice Stats
- Furthermore, according to the 2024 Gallup poll, among 1,024 interviews, 54% were pro-choice, 41% were pro-life and 5% held no opinion. Compared to 2021, when 49% were pro-choice, 47% were pro-life and 5% held no opinion, there has been an increase in pro-choice identification.
- Also, the 2024 Gallup poll recorded that, among pro-choicers, 54% were non-Hispanic or White Americans, while 54% were non-White or Hispanic Americans. In contrast, pro-lifers were 41% Non-Hispanic White Americans and 41% Hispanic or Non-White Americans.
Additionally, a Pew Research poll from 1995-2024 explored Americans’ views on abortion, asking if they believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases or illegal in all or most cases. Given these two options, the nation’s population leans toward retaining legal status for abortion:
- 63% prefer keeping it legal in all or most cases.
- In contrast, 36% would like to make it illegal in all or most instances.
More facts about abortion:
Research on Chemical Abortions
- Abortion via the abortion pill accounted for 63% of all abortions in 2023. This percentage has risen as in-clinic abortions have declined. The demand and use for chemical abortions is skyrocketing. In 2017, 31% of all abortions were through the abortion pill. This number has more than doubled.
- According to Micromedex, symptoms of the abortion pill include: headache (up to 44%), nausea (43-61%), vomiting (18-26%), diarrhea (12-40%), fatigue (10%), cramping and pain (96%).
- Additionally, the chemical abortion process may mask symptoms of ectopic pregnancy.
- Currently, the abortion pill is provided up to 10 weeks’ gestation.
For more information about the abortion pill and it’s reversal check out, “The Abortion Pill: How Does it Work?”
Articles on the truth about abortion:
Abortion and Christianity Research
In a 2015 research survey with 1,038 women that had abortions:
- 70% claim a Christian religious preference.
- 43% were going to church regularly once a month at the time of her abortion.
According to 2014 research: many of women surveyed identified with a religious affiliation.
- 17% as mainline Protestant
- 13% as evangelical Protestant
- 24% as Roman Catholic
