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The number of abortions in the United States has increased since the Supreme Court in 2022 eliminated the federal guarantee of the right to elective termination of pregnancy, allowing 22 states to put in place legal restrictions, according to a study published Wednesday.
According to the Society of Family Planning (SFP), which advocates for access to reproductive rights, there were 98,990 abortions per month on average in the first quarter of 2024, a higher figure than in 2022 and 2023.
The organization attributes much of the increase to abortion pills obtained through remote consultations. The proportion of abortions performed through this channel has increased from 4% to 20% nationally since 2022.
In June 2022, the conservative majority on the Supreme Court, resulting from the recent appointments of former Republican President Donald Trump, ended federal protection of the right to abortion, paving the way for the adoption of very restrictive legislation, going as far as total prohibition, in many conservative states.
But states led by Democrats had instead decided to put in place “shield laws” to protect doctors who provide remote consultations for the benefit of patients in states targeted by a ban.
According to the SFP, an average of 9,200 abortions were performed under the protection of these laws between January and March 2024, an increase of 16% compared to the previous quarter.
The Planned Parenthood study also shows significant declines in the number of abortions in states that have passed restrictions or bans since 2022, the most significant being in Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana and Alabama.
Abortion rights, and reproductive rights in general, will be a major issue in the US presidential campaign, with Democratic candidate Kamala Harris pledging to reinstate protection at the federal level if elected.
She regularly criticizes her Republican rival Donald Trump for his role in appointing three conservative justices to the Supreme Court before she made her 2022 decision.