US abortion rates dipped after Florida’s 6-week ban took effect, report shows

A six-week abortion ban in Florida led to a sharp drop in the number of abortions provided in the state and drove national trends down, too.

A six-week abortion ban in Florida led to a sharp drop in the number of abortions provided in the state and drove down national trends too, a new report shows. Monthly abortions in Florida were cut by more than 30% after a ban on procedures after six weeks of pregnancy was implemented in May, according to the report from the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization focused on sexual and reproductive health that supports abortion rights. There were an average of about 5,400 abortions in the state each month in May and June, down from more than 8,000 a month in the first three months of the year. Nationwide, average monthly abortions fell 7% in that time – a difference of about 7,000 fewer abortions each month – and the drop in Florida accounted for more than a third of that decline. There are seasonal fertility patterns and some month-to-month fluctuation in abortion rates, experts say. But data from Guttmacher suggests that the changes in Florida were drastic; in other states without total abortion bans, the estimated number of abortions dipped only 2% in May and 9% in June. The tighter restrictions in Florida were expected to reverberate through the state and the broader region. More than 1 in 10 abortions in the country happened in Florida before the more restrictive policy took effect in May, and it had become a key abortion access point for the South in the years since the US Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision revoked the federal right to an abortion in 2022. In 2023, about 9,000 people traveled from out of state to receive an abortion in Florida, according to Guttmacher estimates – many coming from states with more restrictive bans, including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.