Post-Dobbs abortions continue to increase: Report
The big picture: Abortions delivered via telehealth have jumped significantly since Roe v. Wade was overturned, with clinicians protected by shield laws.
"Drivers of these trends are unclear, especially in the context of multiple changes in the service delivery environment," the #WeCount report from the Society of Family Planning nonprofit said.
Zoom in: While in-person abortion care declined slightly, the majority of abortions still occurred in person.
The number of abortions delivered via telehealth has increased since 2022. Expanded telehealth access to medication abortion has allowed patients to circumvent state laws banning the procedure.
State of play: Shield laws provide legal protections to clinicians who offer telehealth abortion care to patients in states with restrictions.
An average of 12,330 abortions per month were provided under shield laws by the end of 2024, per #WeCount.
Half of abortions provided via telehealth in 2024 were facilitated by shield laws.
By the numbers: U.S. abortions totaled 1.14 million in 2024, the largest number in recent years.
The monthly average number of abortion increased each year since 2022.
By the end of 2024, 25% of abortions were provided via telehealth, a sizable increase from 5% in the second quarter of 2022.
What they're saying: "Anti-abortion extremists are using junk science and now turning their attacks toward telehealth, trying to dismantle a lifeline for people in ban states by attempting to roll back access," #WeCount co-chair Ushma Upadhyay said in a statement.
"By providing safe, affordable medication abortion via telemedicine, we make sure people can get the care they need—no matter where they live or what they can afford," Angel Foster, Co-Founder of the Massachusetts Medication Abortion Access Project, said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Boston Globe
Healey signs bill expanding reproductive, transgender care protections
Advertisement At a time of enhanced federal scrutiny and legal threats largely led by Republicans in other states, lawmakers last week moved to update the 2022 shield law intended to protect providers and patients of reproductive care, including abortions, and transgender care. Supporters say additional steps are needed to plug gaps in existing law in the wake of the US Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. The expanded shield law limits the release of sensitive data, allows prescription labels to display a practice name instead of an individual physician's name, and codifies a state requirement for abortion care to be provided in emergencies when medically necessary. The anonymity provision for prescription labels is linked to the case of a Advertisement The law also blocks courts here from considering or admitting cases of abuse, neglect, or maltreatment for parents who support their children in receiving transgender care. 'It's a true honor today to celebrate a law that will save lives, including my own, and so many other trans people who I know,' said Dallas Ducar, who's transgender and is Fenway Health's executive vice president of donor engagement and external relations. 'This will save families, will protect families, and remind our country what leadership looks like.' In a statement to the News Service, the Massachusetts Family Institute warned about the law's impact on children. 'Governor Healey and Massachusetts legislators have sadly, but predictably, bowed to ideology instead of protecting Massachusetts citizens, especially children,' MFI general counsel Sam Whiting said. 'This 'shield law' only shields activist healthcare providers from transparency and accountability, all while infringing on the rights of other states to protect children from abortion and irreversible gender mutilation procedures.' Healey called the law a 'necessary step forward,' as she invoked the gravity of the week, which brought 'What we do to protect people's rights here in Massachusetts impacts the country,' Healey said. House Judiciary Committee Chair Michael Day said last week that the urgency of the effort to update the shield law 'has been dictated by the wild rhetoric as well as the acts taken by both this presidential administration, as well as several of our sister states, in the field that this bill covers: the right for a woman to control her body and the right for transgender individuals to be treated as equals here in the commonwealth.' Advertisement In New Hampshire last week, Governor Kelly Ayotte signed two bills banning transgender care for minors, including puberty blockers or hormone treatments, as well as chest surgeries, according to NHPR. 'Medical decisions made at a young age can carry lifelong consequences, and these bills represent a balanced, bipartisan effort to protect children,' Ayotte said in a statement. About 40 percent of transgender youth across the country — or roughly 120,400 individuals — live in 27 states that have bans on gender identity care,
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Newsweek
VA Plans Major Change to Healthcare Benefits
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced it plans to scale back abortion access under its healthcare programs. Why It Matters The decision would reverse a policy put in place in September 2022, following the U.S. Supreme Court's June ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that protected a pregnant woman's right to choose to have an abortion. The 2022 policy allowed federal funds to be used to pay for abortion care for veterans and eligible dependents in cases of rape, incest, and danger to the life or health of the mother. Critics argue the VA move could leave veterans without reproductive care options, especially in states with strict abortion bans. What To Know In a notice published Monday in the Federal Register, the department said it would reinstate a pre-2022 rule that excludes abortion services from coverage except when a pregnancy poses a threat to the life of the mother. It would apply to medical benefits packages for veterans and their dependents. At the time of the 2022 change, then-VA Secretary Denis McDonough said the decision had been made to protect patient safety. The change also made it possible for abortion care to be provided in states which had limited access to reproductive care following the overturn. The change garnered scrutiny from conservative lawmakers, who argued it exceeded the limits set by the Hyde Amendment—a federal provision that restricts the use of government funds for abortions unless the life of the mother is in danger. Stock image/file photo: Signboard of United States Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington DC. Stock image/file photo: Signboard of United States Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington DC. GETTY The department said in its proposal that it wanted to ensure it "provides only needed medical services to our nation's heroes and their families." It will continue to provide coverage for Veterans experiencing miscarriages or ectopic pregnancies. Anti-abortion Republicans have praised the rollback as a victory for taxpayers and the sanctity of life, while abortion-rights advocates condemned it as a dangerous denial of care, arguing it strips veterans of bodily autonomy and puts their health and dignity at risk. What People Are Saying Republicans on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs said in a statement: "It was wrong that the Biden administration violated settled law in 2022 and began offering abortion services through VA. We pushed back hard on this disastrous policy over the last two years to hold the Biden-Harris administration accountable and protect the lives of the unborn. It's simple–taxpayers do not want their hard-earned money spent on paying for abortions—and VA's sole focus should always be providing service-connected health care and benefits to the veterans they serve. House Republicans, alongside President Trump, will always stand up for the sanctity of life—today's decision by Secretary Collins makes that message perfectly clear." Alexis McGill Johnson, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement on Monday: "Those who fight for all our freedom must have the most basic freedom to control their own bodies and futures—and this rule robs them of it. Taking away access to heath care shows us that the Trump administration will always put politics and retribution over people's lives." Nancy Northup, president and CEO at the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in a statement: "After veterans put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms, the Trump administration is trying to rob them of their own freedoms and putting their health at risk. This administration is sending a clear message to veterans—that their health and dignity aren't worth defending. To devalue veterans in this way and take away life-changing health care would be unconscionable. This shows you just how extreme this administration's anti-abortion stance is—they would rather a veteran suffer severely than receive an abortion." What's Next The proposal will be open for a 30-day public comment period until September 3.
The Hill
6 days ago
- The Hill
Proposed rule bans nearly all abortions at VA hospitals
The VA said in the proposal that it is reversing a 2022 rule that for the first time allowed the department to provide abortions in limited circumstances to pregnant veterans and their eligible family members, even in states that banned abortion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Between 1999 and 2022, the VA excluded almost all abortions and abortion counseling for veterans and their families from their medical benefits package. By reversing the rule, officials are seeking to ensure taxpayer dollars are not used to terminate pregnancies, according to a filing released Friday. They also called the Biden administration's decision to implement the interim rule 'inappropriate' and 'legally questionable.' A final rule could come as soon as the public comment period on the measure closes on Sept. 3. Reproductive rights groups said the move robbed service members of the ability to control their bodies and their futures. 'Since taking office, the Trump administration has repeatedly attacked service members, veterans, and their families' access to basic reproductive care, including gender-affirming care,' Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said, referring to the VA's decision in March to stop providing transgender veterans with hormone therapy. 'Taking away access to health care shows us that the Trump administration will always put politics and retribution over people's lives.' Anti-abortion groups, meanwhile, applauded the Trump administration's decision, calling it a 'major win' for the movement. 'Instead of prioritizing the real and urgent needs of our veterans, the Biden-Harris Administration turned VA hospitals into abortion centers – violating longstanding law and betraying the will of the American people who strongly oppose forced taxpayer-funded abortions,' the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America said in a statement. 'Thankfully, this injustice is now corrected.'
