Abortion Across Borders: A Complex Issue

(ConservativeInsider.org) – New research from the Guttmacher Institute shows that since the Supreme Court passed Dobbs, states where abortion remains legal have seen increased patients compared to prior years. New Mexico and Wyoming have had the most significant increase, with more than three times as many provided in the first half of 2023 compared to 2020. Kansas and South Carolina have doubled their intake of such patients.

The Guttmacher Institute states that earlier pre-pandemic data showed a rise in abortions from 2017 to 2020, which has some experts confused as birth control is readily available via mail services or over the counter. Some experts lament that abortion statistics are complicated to review and question their accuracy as there is a wide array of reasons why a person may seek an abortion, some medical and some personal.

Planned Parenthood released their 2022 year-end data, which shows that they provided 9 million services, the majority of which are for birth control services, STI tests and treatment, and checkups. Less than 5% of Planned Parenthood care is attributed to abortions. Planned Parenthood and the Guttmacher Institute provide state-specific legal data regarding what is legal and what has been outlawed.

Medically necessary abortions are allowed in many states when the mother’s life is at risk. Thirty-three states have bans on D&E, the commonly used abortion method in the 2nd-trimester. Most elective abortions are not available by the second trimester. The second trimester is typically when fetal abnormalities are found, and viability is considered carefully. The Guttmacher Institute provides a detailed chart of when medical invention is allowed by each state and different milestone. Different states use different timelines considering conception and viability which makes further tracking this data more confusing, according to experts who study OB/GYN outcomes.

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