Rise in Abortions in the U.S. in 2024
Abortion rates in the United States saw a notable increase in 2024, especially in states that have imposed various procedural restrictions.
By the year’s end, one in four abortions was reportedly conducted using medications sent through the mail, a stark contrast to only 7% at the close of 2022, according to a report from the Family Planning Association. Nearly half of these mail-order abortions were prescribed to women in areas with abortion limitations, with doctors practicing in states that have “shield laws,” like New York and Massachusetts.
Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, many Democratic-leaning states enacted these shield laws to safeguard abortion providers from legal action or extradition for breaching laws in other states. This effectively allowed the mailing of abortion drugs to regions where procedures are banned. UCLA outlines that various states, including Washington, D.C., have several types of shielding laws, with eight states specifically protecting providers when patients are situated in different jurisdictions.
As of the end of 2024, on average, 12,330 abortions were performed each month under these new regulations, the report indicates.
Christina Francis, CEO of the American Association of Life Support Scientists and the Association of Gynecologists, expressed her concerns about the trend. She remarked that the report highlights a troubling prioritization of the abortion industry, claiming it endangers women’s health. Francis noted, “We have seen not only women die from complications that could have been avoided with basic medical supervision, but also others who have lost pregnancies after using these medications under coercive circumstances. Mail-order abortion constitutes medical negligence, and laws that hinder the enforcement of the Pro-Life Act against such practices threaten the safety of our patients and pregnant women.”
Recently, DCNF revealed how easy it was to acquire abortion medications—just by filling out an online medical form provided by the prescribing entity, without any direct medical consultation or confirmation of pregnancy.
In Texas and Louisiana, officials have initiated a lawsuit against a New York-based doctor accused of unlawfully prescribing abortion medications across state lines, including to minors in Louisiana. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has refused to comply with requests related to the case.
While advocates for abortion often stress the safety of the medications, a recent peer-reviewed study from the Prolife Charlotte Institute suggests that no valid comparison can be made between the widely used abortion drug mifepristone and common over-the-counter medications. Furthermore, a study analyzing insurance data by the Center for Ethics and Public Policy indicated that nearly 11% of patients faced “serious adverse events,” contrasting sharply with the 0.5% rate reported on the drug’s label, which included severe complications like bleeding and infections.
Overall, the report confirmed that over 1.4 million abortions were carried out in the U.S. in 2024, an increase from around 1.06 million the previous year, reflecting a rise in states implementing strict abortion regulations, including total bans.
