Adobe Stock
CV NEWS FEED // Abortion numbers have risen to over 1 million annually, marking the highest levels in over a decade, according to a 2024 report of the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-abortion research organization.
The Sentinel reports that the surge, fueled by increased reliance on abortion pills and self-managed procedures, underscores the urgent need for continued pro-life advocacy and legal reforms to protect the unborn. The rise to over one million unborn dead annually through abortion comes despite the landmark pro-life victory in the overturn of Roe v. Wade by the Dobbs decision, which allowed states to ban abortion for the first time in 50 years.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, the proliferation of abortion pills, such as mifepristone and misoprostol, which account for 63% of abortions nationally, has made self-induced abortions more accessible.
The Guttmacher Institute reported in May that “findings from the Monthly Abortion Provision Study show that an estimated 1,037,000 abortions occurred in the formal health care system in 2023.”
Rebecca Gomperts, founder of Aid Access, an abortion pill provider, stated in a Nov. 26 interview with NBC News that “the obstacles are actually lower than before Dobbs.” Gomperts emphasized that abortion pills have become a preferred method for those lacking resources to travel to clinics, creating a so-called “better” landscape for abortion access.
This shift has been aided by groups like the Brigid Alliance, which provides financial and logistical support to women seeking abortions. Executive Director Serra Sippel told NBC that pro-abortion networks mobilized quickly after Dobbs to ensure abortion bans in some states would not hinder access.
“It was kind of all hands on deck,” Sippel said.
Despite these efforts, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a slight decline in abortions between 2021 and 2022, coinciding with the Dobbs ruling, as CatholicVote has reported.
Abortions dropped by 2%, from approximately 622,000 to 609,000. The abortion rate, which measures the number of abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44, also fell by 3%, and the abortion ratio, comparing abortions to live births, decreased by 2%. While this decline offers a glimmer of hope, the rapid rise in abortion numbers in 2023 demonstrates the resilience of pro-abortion forces and the effectiveness of their strategies.
>> 2022 CDC ABORTION DATA: SLIGHT DROP FROM PREVIOUS YEAR WITH REVERSAL OF ROE V. WADE <<
The widespread use of abortion pills has driven significant changes in how abortions are performed. According to the CDC, over half of abortions in 2022 (53.3%) were early pill abortions, marking a 4% increase from the previous year. Most abortions (92.8%) occurred at or before 13 weeks gestation, further reflecting the growing reliance on chemical means.
Another notable statistic was that the vast majority (87.7%) of women obtaining abortions were unmarried, highlighting the need for support systems that promote life-affirming choices and strengthen family structures.
With over 1 million unborn children now killed annually, abortion stats reveal the immense challenges posed by abortion pills and self-managed abortions, and the urgent work that remains for the pro-life movement nationally.
