A shifting landscape of abortion policies means the way women access care is changing

The number of abortions in the United States is on the rise two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, but shifting policies are changing the way women access them.

The number of abortions in the United States is on the rise two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, but shifting policies are changing the way women access them. In the spring of 2024, from April to June, there were an average of about 97,500 abortion each month in the US, according to a new report from the Society of Family Planning. The nonprofit organization tracks abortion volume reported by clinics, private medical offices, hospitals and virtual clinic providers that are collected into quarterly #WeCount reports. As in previous years, the vast majority of abortions in the spring of 2024 – nearly 80% – were provided in-person. But there was a slight downtick compared with last year, with an average of about 2,000 fewer in-person abortions each month. Meanwhile, telehealth abortions – with medications dispensed through the mail after a remote consultation with a clinician – are increasing, especially medication abortion provided under shield laws to women living in states with bans or restrictions. Shield laws offer some legal protections for providers who practice in some states where abortion remains legal to prescribe medication abortion drugs via telehealth to people living in states with bans or restrictions. The Society of Family Planning has been including data on abortions provided under shield laws in their trends for a year, and numbers have been steadily increasing. In the summer of 2023, from July to September, an average of about 5,700 abortions were provided under shield laws each month. By the spring of 2024, that number was up to more than 9,700 abortions each month.