More than 6 in 10 U.S. abortions in 2023 were done by medication, new research shows

More than six in 10 of the abortions in the U.S. last year were done through medication, up from 53% in 2020, new research shows.

The Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights, said about 642,700 medication abortions took place in the first full calendar year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Medication abortion accounted for 63% of abortions in the formal health care system.

The data was released Tuesday, a week before the high court will hear arguments in a case that could impact how women get access to the drug mifepristone, which is usually used with another pill in medication abortions.