The Guttmacher Institute conducts timely research and policy analysis on abortion in the United States, including tracking legislation at the state and federal level.
Abortion in the United States
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Abortion Research & Policy Tools
National and state-level data on abortion provision, medication abortion use and interstate travel for abortion.
State-specific abortion bans, restrictions and protections.
Fact sheets on abortion laws by state and other key sexual and reproductive health policies.
Updates on major legislative developments related to sexual and reproductive health in each state.
Analyses of state-level reproductive health policy trends, including new abortion restrictions and protections enacted.
Key Abortion Issues
We produce data on medication abortion at the state and national levels, as well as tracking and analysis of state-level restrictions and current threats to medication abortion access.
Main resources:
- Opinion: The Misinformation Campaign Trying to Bring Down Abortion Pills
- Medication Abortion Remains Critical to State Abortion Provision as Attacks on Access Persist
- Medication Abortion Accounted for 63% of All US Abortions in 2023—An Increase from 53% in 2020
- Video: Get the Facts on Medication Abortion in the United States
- 10 Reasons a Second Trump Presidency Will Decimate Sexual and Reproductive Health
- People Living with Low Incomes and Individuals Who Identify as Black Are Among Those More Likely to Have a Procedural Abortion than a Medication Abortion
- State Laws and Policies: Medication Abortion
Our experts track major court cases that affect sexual and reproductive health in the United States.
Main resources:
- The First 100 Days of the Trump-Vance Administration: Attacks on Reproductive Freedom and Scientific Evidence
- 10 Reasons a Second Trump Presidency Will Decimate Sexual and Reproductive Health
- How Project 2025 Seeks to Obliterate Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
- A Guide to US Federal Agencies and Their Impact on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
Our experts track state-level abortion policy trends and developments, and release comprehensive analyses at least twice a year.
- State Policy Trends 2024: Anti-Abortion Policymakers Redouble Attacks on Bodily Autonomy
- Midyear 2024 State Policy Trends: Many US States Attack Reproductive Health Care, as Other States Fight Back
- State Policy Trends 2023: In the First Full Year Since Roe Fell, a Tumultuous Year for Abortion and Other Reproductive Health Care
Our experts are tracking major court cases that could impact reproductive health in the United States.
Main resources:
Our experts are pushing back against shoddy science that features prominently in attempts to undermine abortion access.
Main resources:
Our research and policy work examines how overturning Roe v. Wade has impacted US abortion access.
Main resources:
- Monthly Abortion Provision Study
- Why Six-Week Abortion Bans Make It Impossible for Many People to Get Care
- Research on the Early Impact of Dobbs on Abortion, Births and Contraception: What We Know So Far
- The Number of Brick-and-Mortar Abortion Clinics Drops, as US Abortion Rate Rises
- Florida’s Six-Week Ban Led to Substantial Drop in Clinician-Provided Abortions
- In the First Month After North Carolina’s Latest Abortion Restrictions, Facility-Based Abortions Dropped by 31%
- State Laws and Policies: State Bans on Abortion Throughout Pregnancy
Our resources explore disparities in access to care and how lack of access affects marginalized groups.
Our research documents abortion incidence and barriers to care among:
We quantify the extent to which people are traveling across state lines for abortion care and analyze the related legal, political and health care ramifications.
Main resources:
- Stability in the Number of Abortions from 2023 to 2024 in US States Without Total Bans Masks Major Shifts in Access
- Monthly Abortion Provision Study
- Latest Data Confirm People Are Traveling Farther Distances to Access Abortion Care Post-Dobbs
- The High Toll of US Abortion Bans: Nearly One in Five Patients Now Traveling Out of State for Abortion Care
Our resources explore how the abortion access landscape has shifted since Roe was overturned and the state policies that impact abortion providers.
Main resources:
- With Risks to Patients and Providers Growing, States Should Revisit Abortion Reporting Requirements
- The Number of Brick-and-Mortar Abortion Clinics Drops, as US Abortion Rate Rises
- State Laws and Policies: Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers
- State Laws and Policies: Abortion Reporting Requirements
- State Laws and Policies: Counseling and Waiting Period Requirements for Abortion
- State Laws and Policies: Ultrasound and “Fetal Heartbeat” Test Requirements for Abortion
Our analyses explore the disproportionate impact of abortion bans and restrictions on young people.
Our resources explore how insurance coverage shapes access to abortion care.
Our experts analyze the role of abortion in the 2024 election, at both the national and state levels.
Main resources:
- Here’s Why Abortion Largely Won on Election Day—But Not on the Top of the Ticket
- Abortion Rights Ballot Measures Win in 7 out of 10 US States
- Destiny Lopez, Co-CEO and President of Guttmacher Institute, on the Election of Donald Trump and J. D. Vance
- 10 Points to Consider When Engaging with Policy Debates Around Abortion
Shaping the Conversation
Framing US Abortion Access: Roe and Dobbs
Explore how landmark Supreme Court decisions have shaped abortion access in the United States, alongside key abortion statistics, trends and demographic data from the Guttmacher Institute.
Roe v. Wade was a landmark 1973 US Supreme Court decision that established the federal constitutional right to abortion under the 14th Amendment, which ensures the right to privacy. Though Roe established the right to abortion—a precedent that stood for nearly 50 years—it fell short of guaranteeing universal abortion access in the United States.
In June 2022, the US Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade and ended the federal constitutional right to abortion. Dobbs cleared the way for states to pass total abortion bans and bans on abortion beginning early in gestation, accelerating the loss of abortion access in many states.
Examine key data points related to abortion in the United States, drawing on the Guttmacher Institute’s long-standing efforts to document abortion numbers and rates, characteristics of people having abortions and related indicators.
Explore Guttmacher's US Abortion Resources
Explore all our resources on abortion in the United States, including peer-reviewed research, policy analyses, and tracking of major legislative updates at the state and federal level.
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