Abortions Rise in States Without Bans, Telehealth Grows

New data from the Guttmacher Institute reveals a slight increase in abortions in the U.S. during 2024, with a total of approximately 1,038,100 abortions performed in states without total bans. The increase is less than 1% over the previous year, despite numerous state-level restrictions following the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade. The usage of online-only clinics for medication abortions in these states rose significantly to 14%, indicating a shift towards telehealth services, possibly due to shield laws protecting providers in banned states. States like Florida and South Carolina saw decreases in abortions due to newly implemented six-week bans, while states like Wisconsin, Arizona, and Virginia experienced increases due to policy changes and demand from out-of-state patients. The overall rate of abortions has slightly decreased from 15.5 to 15.4 per 1,000 women aged 15-44. Telemedicine and shield laws are becoming central to the national debate on abortion policy, with several legal challenges expected to escalate to the Supreme Court.