Abortions Drop 6% in Two Months After Dobbs, Over 10,000 Babies Saved From Abortions

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Oct 31, 2022   |   9:16AM   |   Washington, DC

A new report in the New York Times shows abortions quickly declined after the Supreme Court overturned Roe. In just the first two months after the Dobbs decision in late June, abortions had already dropped 6% as more than 10,000 babies were saved from abortion.

“Thirteen states banned or severely restricted abortion during those months, mostly in the South, and legal abortions in those states fell to close to zero, according to detailed estimates made by a consortium of academics and abortion providers,” the report said. “Nine more states added major abortion restrictions, and legal abortions in those states fell by a third. In states with bans and restrictions, there were about 22,000 fewer abortions in July and August, compared with the baseline of April, before the decision.”

That 22,000 decline in the number of babies killed was more than enough to offset the increase of 12,000 abortions in blue states that advertised abortions to women in pro-life states that protect women and children.

While the CDC and state health departments are notoriously slow to report abortion data, the new statistics come from a pro-abortion group that gets its information directly from abortion businesses — which makes it quicker to compile and possibly more accurate. As the Times reports:

The data comes from a new organization called WeCount, which is led by the Society of Family Planning, a group that supports abortion rights. It is collecting abortion data from clinics, hospitals and telemedicine providers across the United States. It obtained detailed abortion counts from 79 percent of the nation’s abortion providers, which were responsible for 82 percent of all abortions before the court’s Dobbs decision. Researchers used adjustments based on state data and time trends to estimate the missing data.

Looking at the state by state data, the Times indicated: “North Carolina, Kansas, Colorado and Illinois had the largest increases by percent. But some women did travel outside of their region: New York, which does not border any states that banned abortion, had a substantial increase.”

Texas saved the most babies from abortions, with a massive decline from April to August, when only 10 babies were killed in abortions. In Texas alone, 5,470 babies were saved thanks to Dobbs and the new state abortion ban.

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Illinois had the biggest increase in the number of babies killed as Planned Parenthood operates two abortion businesses near pro-life states in an attempt to maximize its income by selling abortions to women instead of providing them pregnancy help and support.

Number of Legal Abortions by State in 2022

Abortions declined nearly to zero in states that banned them, but they increased in many states where abortion remained legal.

South April July August Total change
Texas 2,770 60 10 -5,470
Georgia 4,380 4,180 1,880 -2,700
Tennessee 1,180 280 260 -1,820
Alabama 650 0 0 -1,300
Louisiana 760 310 0 -1,210
Oklahoma 510 0 0 -1,020
South Carolina 600 120 260 -820
Mississippi 350 0 0 -700
Arkansas 290 0 0 -580
Kentucky 310 280 0 -340
District of Columbia 910 840 910 -70
West Virginia 90 30 80 -70
Delaware 190 200 230 +50
Maryland 2,790 2,840 2,820 +80
Virginia 2,020 2,260 1,940 +160
Florida 5,150 5,570 5,670 +940
North Carolina 3,190 3,890 4,360 +1,870
Midwest April July August Total change
Ohio 1,950 730 680 -2,490
Wisconsin 590 0 0 -1,180
Iowa 380 360 280 -120
North Dakota 90 100 0 -80
South Dakota 20 0 0 -40
Missouri 10 0 0 -20
Nebraska 200 210 260 +70
Kansas 880 810 1,200 +250
Indiana 940 1,110 1,080 +310
Michigan 2,590 2,780 2,780 +380
Minnesota 1,050 1,300 1,190 +390
Illinois 5,430 6,570 6,950 +2,660

 

West April July August Total change
Arizona 1,250 230 590 -1,680
Idaho 150 110 80 -110
Utah 320 270 310 -60
Hawaii 240 200 250 -30
Alaska 100 90 100 -10
Washington 1,730 1,650 1,820 +10
Wyoming 40 50 40 +10
Montana 170 160 220 +40
Oregon 820 830 970 +160
Nevada 1,030 1,000 1,250 +190
California 17,800 17,780 18,020 +200
New Mexico 1,200 1,410 1,350 +360
Colorado 1,450 1,740 1,940 +780
Northeast April July August Total change
Massachusetts 1,550 1,530 1,500 -70
Rhode Island 310 270 290 -60
New Hampshire 200 180 190 -30
Vermont 100 100 110 +10
Connecticut 880 940 870 +50
Maine 190 220 230 +70
New Jersey 3,800 3,830 4,060 +290
Pennsylvania 2,900 3,300 3,080 +580
New York 8,520 9,030 9,510 +1,500

Note: The change in each month was calculated by comparing the number of abortions in the months after the Dobbs decision with a baseline number from April. The total cumulative change includes the change from both of those months.

Leading pro-life advocates celebrated the news.

“We are celebrating the fact that at least 10,000 babies have a chance at life,” said Kristan Hawkins, the president of Students for Life of America. “It’s a sign of course correction and of ordinary Americans finally having a say in how many lives are tragically lost to the tragedy of abortion.”

As LifeNews reported, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, with a 6-3 majority ruling in the Dobbs case that “The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion” — allowing states to ban abortions and protect unborn babies. The high court also ruled 6-3 uphold the Mississippi 15-week abortion ban so states can further limit abortions and to get rid of the false viability standard.

Chief Justice John Roberts technically voted for the judgment but, in his concurring opinion, disagreed with the reasoning and said he wanted to keep abortions legal but with a new standard.

Texas and Oklahoma had banned abortions before Roe was overturned and Missouri became the first state after Roe to protect babies from abortions and South Dakota became the 2nd. Then Arkansas became the third state protecting babies from abortions and Kentucky became the 4th and Louisiana became the 5th and Ohio became the 6th and Utah became the 7th and Oklahoma became the 8th and Alabama became the 9th. This week, Mississippi became the 10th and South Carolina became the 11th,Texas became the 12th with its pre-Roe law and Tennessee became the 13th.

Michigan, Wisconsin and West Virginia have old pro-life laws on the books but there is question about whether they are applicable and will be enforced.

Ultimately, as many as 26 states could immediately or quickly ban abortions and protect babies from certain death for the first time in nearly 50 years.

The 13 total states with trigger laws that would effectively ban all or most abortions are: Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.

“Abortion presents a profound moral question. The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion. Roe and Casey arrogated that authority. We now overrule those decisions and return that authority to the people and their elected representatives,” Alito wrote.

“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences,” Alito wrote. “And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division.”

Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Stephen Breyer authored a joint dissent condemning the decision as enabling states to enact “draconian” restrictions on women.

Polls show Americans are pro-life on abortion and a new national poll shows 75% of Americans essentially agree with the Supreme Court overturning Roe.

Despite false reports that abortion bans would prevent doctors from treating pregnant women for miscarriages or ectopic pregnancies, pro-life doctors confirm that is not the case. Some 35 states have laws making it clear that miscarriage is not abortion and every state with an abortion ban allows treatment for both.