Abortion Numbers Show first Decline Since Roe v. Wade overturn, Driven by Shield Laws and Travel Burdens
WASHINGTON D.C. – In a notable shift, the number of abortions provided in the United States appears to be decreasing for the first time since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, according to preliminary data from the guttmacher Institute, a research organization supporting abortion rights. The decline is attributed to a combination of factors, including the implementation of “shield laws” protecting abortion access and increasing logistical and financial hurdles for those seeking care across state lines.
Prior to 2024, abortion provision had been steadily rising nationwide following the Supreme Court’s decision. However, the new data indicates a reversal of that trend.
“This is an innovation of the last couple years that I think has been incredibly critically important, and it’s important that policymakers and advocates continue to protect and expand these provisions as it’s clear that they’ve been incredibly important to the abortion access landscape in the U.S.,” said Guttmacher researcher Rachel DoCampo. She was referring to abortion shield laws, which protect patients and providers from legal repercussions from states where abortion is banned.
The research also points to the growing difficulty of interstate travel for abortion care.”the increasing burden of traveling across state lines to access care…points to ‘the need for policymakers to address some of these financial strains,'” DoCampo explained.
States with the most notable declines in abortion provision are those that enacted strict abortion bans. Florida, which implemented a six-week ban in 2024 after previously having a 15-week ban, saw a 27% decrease in abortions provided by clinicians in the first six months of 2025 compared to the same period the previous year. Similar declines were observed in states bordering those with near-total bans.
The impact of shield laws and travel restrictions is also evident in state-specific data. Illinois, a major destination for out-of-state abortion seekers, experienced a substantial drop in the number of travelers accessing care within its borders – a decline that accounted for nearly three-quarters of the state’s overall decrease in abortions provided.
Conversely, New York saw a roughly 5% decline in overall abortions provided, but a 51% increase in the number of people traveling to the state for care, likely due to increased travel from Florida following its new restrictions.
While the overall decline is a significant growth, some experts express concern that it may indicate unmet need.
“A decrease, to me, just raises the concern that there could be people who wont abortions who don’t get them,” said Diana Greene Foster, a professor at the University of California, san Francisco, who was not involved in Guttmacher’s research. Foster’s own long-term research,known as the Turnaway Study,has demonstrated that individuals denied abortions experience worse economic and health outcomes.
“My big concern is whether people who need to travel are able to travel,” Foster added. “We don’t know from this data that they’re not, but it is a concerning possibility.”
The Guttmacher Institute’s full research and further details on abortion shield laws can be found here and on the increasing burden of travel here. Information on the Turnaway Study is available here.
