Pre-1800s - Abortion is largely legal

Throughout much of Western history, abortion was not considered a criminal act as long as it was performed before “quickening” (the first detectable movement of the fetus, which can occur between 13–25 weeks of pregnancy). American states derived their initial abortion statutes from British common law, which followed this principle. Until at least the early 1800s, abortion procedures and methods were legal and openly advertised throughout the United States. Abortion was unregulated, however, and could be not only unsafe but fatal for the pregnant person. [15] [17] [18] [19] [20] [29]

1821 - Connecticut is first state to criminalize abortion

The state banned the selling of an abortion-inducing “poison,” but it did not punish those who took the poison. [2]

1845 - New York criminalizes pregnant people’s participation in abortions

Legal consequences of an abortion began in 1845 when New York criminalized a pregnant person’s participation in their own abortion, regardless of whether the abortion took place before or after “quickening.” The law stated:

Every woman who shall solicit of any person any medicine, drug, or substance or thing whatever, and shall take the same, or shall submit to any operation, or other means whatever, with intent thereby to procure a miscarriage, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall, upon conviction, be punished by imprisonment in the county jail, not less than three months nor more than one year, or by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars, or by both such fine and imprisonment. [2]

Mid-1800s - American Medical Association campaigns to outlaw abortion

In the mid-1800s, early pro-life advocate Dr. Horatio Robinson Storer (1830–1922) convinced the American Medical Association to join him in campaigning for the outlawing of abortion nationwide. By the early 1900s, most states had banned abortion. By 1965, all 50 states had outlawed abortion, with some exceptions varying by state. [3] [19] [21]

January 22, 1973 - Roe v. Wade legalizes abortion nationwide

Federal action on abortion didn’t occur until Roe v. Wade, which declared most state anti-abortion laws unconstitutional. On January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court’s 7–2 decision established rules based on a pregnancy trimester framework, banning legislative interference in the first trimester of pregnancy (0–12 weeks), allowing states to regulate abortion during the second trimester (weeks 13–28) “in ways that are reasonably related to maternal health,” and allowing a state to “regulate, and even proscribe” abortion during the third trimester (weeks 29–40) “in promoting its interest in the potentiality of human life,” unless an abortion is required to preserve the life or health of the pregnant person. The decision also allowed states to prohibit abortions performed by anyone who is not a state-licensed physician. [6] [23]

The initial Roe v. Wade lawsuit was filed at the Dallas federal district courthouse on March 3, 1970, by pregnant Texas resident Norma McCorvey, named in court documents as “Jane Roe.” Henry Wade, Dallas County District Attorney from 1951 to 1987, was the named defendant. McCorvey was seeking to end her pregnancy, but abortion was illegal in Texas except to save the pregnant person’s life. McCorvey said the pregnancy was the result of rape, but she later retracted that claim, admitting she lied in the hope of increasing her chances of procuring an abortion. The baby was eventually delivered and given up for adoption. McCorvey later abandoned her support of abortion rights, becoming a pro-life activist and an evangelical Christian in 1995. She then converted to Catholicism and took part in silent prayer vigils outside abortion clinics. In the 2020 documentary AKA Jane Roe, McCorvey claimed anti-abortion activists paid her to support their cause. [24] [25] [26] [37] [71]

1976 - Hyde Amendment

Immediately following Roe v. Wade, pro-life proponents pushed for federal legislation that would restrict abortion. In 1976, Congress passed the appropriations bill for the Departments of Labor, Health, Education, and Welfare (now the Department of Health and Human Services, HHS) which included an amendment ending Medicaid funding for abortions. Known as the “Hyde Amendment” (named after its original congressional sponsor, Republican Representative Henry Hyde of Illinois), this provision banning federal funding for abortions has been renewed with various revisions every year since its inception. [10] [40] [73]

August 1984 - Mexico City Policy

At the August 1984 United Nations International Conference on Population held in Mexico City, President Ronald Reagan announced the Mexico City Policy, which restricted all non-governmental organizations funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) from performing or promoting abortion services. President Bill Clinton rescinded the policy (January 22, 1993); President George W. Bush reenacted it (January 22, 2001); President Barack Obama again rescinded it (January 23, 2009); President Donald Trump reinstated it (January 23, 2017); President Joe Biden revoked it once again (January 28, 2021); and President Trump, amid the start of his second administration (January 24, 2025), again reinstated the policy. [10] [40] [73] [166]

1990 - 2011 - Abortion rates fall

The U.S. abortion rate fell 29 percent between 1990 and 2005, from 27.4 to 19.4 abortions per 1,000 women of childbearing age, before leveling out in 2005–2008. Between 2008 and 2011, the abortion rate dropped again by 13 percent to its lowest point since 1973: 17 abortions for every 1,000 women; in 2014 the rate dropped another 14 percent to 15 abortions per 1,000 women. Pro-choice supporters credited an increased use of new birth control methods such as Mirena (an intra-uterine device that can last for several years) as one of the reasons for the decline. Pro-life groups credited an increase in anti-abortion laws at the state level amongst other factors, although abortion rates dropped faster than the national average in some states that had not enacted abortion restrictions, such as Illinois, where the rate dropped by 18 percent. [1] [13] [14] [36] [54]

June 29, 1992 - Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey upholds legal abortion

On June 29, 1992, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutional right to have an abortion in Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey (5–4), but it abandoned the “rigid trimester framework” outlined in Roe v. Wade and adopted a less restrictive standard for state regulations. The decision allowed states to impose waiting periods before an abortion could be obtained, allowed some legislative interference in the first trimester in the interest of health, and permitted parental consent requirements for minors seeking abortions. The Court ruled that none of these conditions imposed an “undue burden” upon those seeking abortions, but some pro-choice advocates warned that Roe v. Wade had been significantly weakened and that states would limit abortion access. [7] [30] [31] [32]

November 5, 2003 - “Partial-birth” abortion ban Act signed by Pres. George W. Bush

On November 5, 2003, after passing in the U.S. House of Representatives (281–142) and the U.S. Senate (64–34), the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 was signed into law by Pres. George W. Bush. This federal legislation banned physicians from providing intact dilation and extraction (also called a “partial-birth” abortion, a term created by the conservative lobbying group National Right to Life Committee in 1995 that is not used by the medical profession), a late-term method (after 21 weeks) used when a pregnant person’s life is in danger or the fetus has such severe abnormalities that it will not survive. The procedure, which is most often performed before viability, accounted for 0.17 percent of abortion procedures in 2000. The act defines a “partial-birth abortion” as “an abortion in which the provider deliberately and intentionally vaginally delivers a living fetus until … the entire fetal head is outside the body of the mother, or … any part of the fetal trunk past the navel is outside the body of the mother, for the purpose of performing an overt act that the person knows will kill the partially delivered living fetus.” Pro-choice advocates challenged the constitutionality of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003; however, on April 18, 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the act in Gonzales v. Carhart/Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood, ruling 5–4 that it did not impose “an undue burden on a woman’s right to abortion.” [4] [8] [9]

2009-2010 - Obamacare will not cover abortions

In 2009–2010, during the U.S. Congress health care debate, pro-life advocates said the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) would allow federal funding for abortions, a claim denied by abortion rights supporters. To ensure passage of the bill, President Barack Obama signed an executive order “to establish an adequate enforcement mechanism to ensure that Federal funds are not used for abortion services,” reaffirming Hyde Amendment restrictions and extending them to cover the newly created health insurance exchanges. [11]

January 3, 2017 - 69 percent of Americans do not want Roe overturned

Pew Research found that 69 percent of Americans surveyed—84 percent of Democrats and 53 percent of Republicans—said, “No, do not overturn” in response to the question, “Would you like to see the Supreme Court completely overturn its Roe versus Wade decision, or not?” [43]

March 2017 - HHS attempts to block abortions for undocumented, unaccompanied minors

In March 2017 the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that all federally funded shelters housing undocumented, unaccompanied minors were henceforth prohibited from taking “any action that facilitates” access to abortion. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) challenged this decision in Garza v. Hargan, and on March 30, 2018 the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued an injunction, ruling that the federal government must not interfere or obstruct any “unaccompanied immigrant minor children who are or will be in the legal custody of the federal government” from having an abortion while the case is being heard. The case was eventually appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled the case moot because the girl had already obtained an abortion. [56] [57] [58]

July 7, 2017 - 57 percent of Americans support legal abortion

A 2017 Pew Research survey found that 57 percent of Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 40 percent say it should be illegal in all or most cases. [59]

2017 - Over 60 million legal abortions performed in United States since Roe

From the Roe v. Wade ruling (January 22, 1973) through 2017, over 60 million legal abortions were estimated to have been performed in the United States—an average of about 1.4 million abortions per year. In 2014, 19 percent of pregnancies (excluding miscarriages) ended in abortion, and 1.5 percent of women aged 15–44 had an abortion. Of the 19 percent, 11 percent of them involved teenagers, while most women who had abortions were in their 20s: 32 percent aged 20–24 and 27 percent aged 25–29. [44] [53] [54]

In 2017, abortion rates declined to an estimated 862,320 in the United States, or 13.5 abortions per 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44. Those rates represent a 7 percent drop since 2014, according to a September 2019 Guttmacher Institute survey, and the lowest recorded rate since abortion was legalized in 1973. [69]

2018 - Poll says health insurance should cover abortions

A 2018 PPRI poll found that 45 percent of women and 42 percent of men agreed abortions should be covered by most health insurance plans. [41]

January 2018 - 51 percent of Americans are pro-choice

A 2018 Marist Poll and Knights of Columbus survey found that 51 percent of Americans were pro-choice, 44 percent pro-life. [42]

2019 - CDC reports 195 abortions to 1,000 live births

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 629,898 legal abortions in 2019. 92.7 percent of the abortions were performed at or before 13 weeks of gestation, 6.2 percent at 14–20 weeks, and less than 1.0 percent at or after 21 weeks’ gestation. 42.3 percent of all abortions were early medical abortions (at or before 9 weeks). The abortion ratio was 195 abortions per 1,000 live births. [86]

July 13, 2020 - In-person requirements for medication abortions ruled unconstitutional

A U.S. district judge ruled on July 13, 2020, that requiring in-person visits for abortions was unconstitutional during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ruling allowed healthcare providers nationwide to mail mifepristone for the duration of the pandemic. The drug, when used in combination with misoprotosol, induces an abortion and was the only drug the FDA required to be administered in a medical setting, according to the ACLU. [72]

June 2021 - 47 percent of Americans say abortion is morally acceptable

A June 2021 Gallup poll found 47 percent of Americans believed abortion to be morally acceptable, while 46 percent believed it not to be. 48 percent thought abortion should be legal “only under certain circumstances,” 32 percent “under any circumstances,” and 19 percent “illegal in all circumstances.” The majority of Americans opposed overturning Roe v. Wade (58 percent), while 32 percent approved it. 56 percent opposed banning abortion after the 18th week of pregnancy, 58 percent opposed fetal heartbeat restrictions, and 57 percent opposed abortion bans if the fetus is found to have a genetic disease or disorder. [74] [75]

September 22, 2021 - Polls say most Americans want to keep Roe

A September 22, 2021, Marquette Law School survey found 20 percent were in favor of overturning Roe v. Wade, 50 percent were opposed, and 29 percent said they didn’t have enough information. A 2021 Monmouth University poll reported 62 percent of Americans were in favor of leaving the Roe v. Wade ruling as is, while 31 percent supported the Supreme Court revisiting the ruling. And a 2021 Quinnipiac University survey found that 67 percent agreed with the Roe v. Wade ruling while 27 percent opposed it. [77]

December 16, 2021 - FDA lifts in-person requirements for mifepristone

On December 16, 2021, the FDA permanently lifted the in-person requirements for mifepristone, which is available via telemedicine appointments and the mail. However, telemedicine appointments for abortions were banned in 19 states, and six states had bans on mailing the pills at the time of the FDA decision. [78]

May 2, 2022 - Leaked draft indicates Roe will be overturned

On May 2, 2022, a U.S. Supreme Court first draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito was leaked to and verified by Politico. The draft indicated the court would overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Alito wrote, “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start....The inescapable conclusion is that a right to abortion is not deeply rooted in the Nation’s history and traditions.” Justice Alito indicated the decisions to allow, regulate, or ban abortion lies with individual states. Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett were reported to have voted with Alito to overturn Roe and Casey, while Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan were writing dissents. How Chief Justice John Roberts would vote was unclear at the time of the leak. [79] [80]

June 2, 2022 - 58 percent of Americans oppose overturning Roe

A June 2, 2022, Gallup poll found that 58 percent of Americans opposed overturning Roe v. Wade, a steady majority seen since 1989, and that 35 percent approved overturning Roe. There were, however, partisan divides: 80 percent of Democrats, 62 percent of independents, and 31 percent of Republicans wanted to keep Roe, while 58 percent of Republicans, 34 percent of independents, and 15 percent of Democrats want Roe overturned. [120]

According to the same June 2, 2022, Gallup poll, 55 percent of Americans identified as “pro-choice,” the highest percentage since 1995. 39 percent identified as “pro-life,” and 5 percent were neither or unsure. For the first time in the history of the poll question (since 2001), 52 percent of Americans believe abortion is morally acceptable. 38 percent believed the procedure to be morally wrong, and 10 percent answered that it depended on the situation or they were unsure. [121]

June 24, 2022 - U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe and Casey

On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey in a 6–3 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, eliminating the federal constitutional right to abortion and returning the issue of abortion regulation to the states. Justice Samuel Alito wrote the majority opinion (the final copy of which was similar to the draft leaked to the press in May) and was joined by Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. Chief Justice John Roberts did not join the majority but wrote a concurring opinion that would have upheld Mississippi’s 15-week ban, but would not have overturned Roe v. Wade. Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan dissented, writing: “With sorrow—for this Court, but more, for the many millions of American women who have today lost a fundamental constitutional protection—we dissent.” [123] [124] [125]

June 27, 2022 - Report indicates abortion numbers remain the same regardless of legality

In a 2022 report, the World Health Organization and the Guttmacher Institute found that between 36 to 47 abortions were performed per 1,000 women (ages 15–49) yearly in countries where abortion is broadly legal. In countries where abortion is banned, between 31 and 51 abortions were performed per 1,000 women (ages 15–49) yearly. [138]

June - December 2022 - Tubal sterilizations rise in states with abortion bans

From the June 2022 Supreme Court ruling to December 2022, tubal sterilizations (in which fallopian tubes are tied or removed to prevent pregnancy) rose 39 percent in states with abortion bans, marking a departure from the common use of non-surgical birth control methods. [171]

July 8, 2022 - HHS ordered to report on abortion protections

On July 8, 2022, President Joe Biden signed “Executive Order on Protecting Access to Reproductive Healthcare Services.” The order directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to submit a report within 30 days on what actions HHS is taking to protect access to abortion and other reproductive services; states HHS will expand access to emergency contraception and long-acting reversible contraception as well as education about abortion; directs HHS to update physician responsibilities and protections guidance under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA); establishes an interagency reproductive health care access task force; collects private pro bono lawyers and organizations to provide legal representation to those seeking and providing abortions; directs the Federal Trade Commission and HHS to consider taking steps to protect patient privacy; and provides safety to those seeking and providing abortions. [127] [128]

July 11, 2022 - EMTALA protects abortions in some cases

In guidance issued by HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra on July 11, 2022, the Biden Administration “reaffirmed that it [EMTALA, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act] protects providers when offering legally-mandated, life- or health-saving abortion services in emergency situations” and that “this federal law preempts state law restricting access to abortion in emergency situations.” [129] [130]

July 13, 2022 - Pharmacies that receive federal assistance are not permitted to refuse abortion prescriptions

On July 13, 2022, the Biden Administration issued clarifying guidance with examples of when pharmacies that receive federal assistance (including via Medicare and Medicaid payments) can and cannot legally refuse to fill prescriptions for drugs that may, among other medicinal uses, end a pregnancy. Civil rights violations would include refusing to fill mifepristone and misoprostol prescriptions for miscarriages; not stocking or filling prescriptions for misoprostol, which can be used for stomach ulcers, or for methotrexate, which can be used for rheumatoid arthritis; refusing to stock or fill a prescription for emergency contraception if the pharmacy also stocks other contraception including condoms. [131] [132] [133]

July 14, 2022 - Texas sues over EMTALA abortion protections

On July 14, 2022, Texas sued the federal government, stating: “EMTALA does not mandate access to abortion or codify a right to an abortion as ‘stabilizing treatment’ for an ’emergency medical condition.’ The Abortion Mandate cites no other federal law that would authorize or require an abortion. No federal statute, including EMTALA, supersedes or preempts the States’ power to regulate or prohibit abortion.” [134]

August 23, 2022 - District Court Judge strikes down EMTALA abortion protections

On August 23, 2022, U.S. District Court Judge James Wesley Hendrix ruled that the HHS guidance about the EMTALA was “unauthorized.” Hendrix wrote: “That guidance goes well beyond EMTALA’s text, which protects both mothers and unborn children, is silent as to abortion, and preempts state law only when the two directly conflict. Since the statute is silent on the question, the Guidance cannot answer how doctors should weigh risks to both a mother and her unborn child. Nor can it, in doing so, create a conflict with state law where one does not exist.” [135]

August 24, 2022 - Idaho law banning emergency abortions blocked

On August 24, 2022, U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill blocked an Idaho ban on emergency abortions. Winmill said the court was tasked with determining “whether Idaho’s criminal abortion statute conflicts with a small but important corner of federal legislation. It does.” The conflict between the August 23 ruling and the August 24 ruling could send abortion rights back to the U.S. Supreme Court. [136]

September 1, 2022 - Department of Veterans Affairs will provide abortions

On September 1, 2022, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced an interim final rule that the VA would provide abortions to veterans and VA beneficiaries in some cases, regardless of state laws. Abortions will be available if the life or health of the pregnant person is in danger and in cases of rape and incest. [137]

January 3, 2023 - FDA announces pharmacies can dispense mifepristone

On January 3, 2023, the FDA announced that certified pharmacies will be allowed to dispense the abortion medication mifepristone to people with a prescription, removing the requirement that only a healthcare provider may dispense the medication. In March 2024, CVS and Walgreens announced their stores would begin dispensing mifepristone in states where it was legal.[139] [150]

April 2023 - Dueling mifepristone court rulings

On April 7, 2023, two federal district court judges issued conflicting preliminary injunctions (rulings issued before the case is heard) on medication abortion: one in Texas ordered the FDA to take mifepristone off the market, while the other in Washington ordered the FDA to maintain the status quo (which would mean keeping mifepristone on the market). The first injunction (Texas) was stayed by the judge pending appeal. On April 12, 2023, 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling on the Texas case, allowing mifepristone to remain on the market while the case is heard but restricting access: the drug may only be dispensed up to seven weeks of pregnancy instead of 10, and it may not be dispensed through the mail. On April 14, 2023, the U.S. Justice Department asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stay the Texas ruling, and Associate Justice Samuel Alito placed a hold on the ruling until Wednesday, April 19, 2023, and the full court stayed the injunction on Friday, April 21, 2023. In the meantime, some Democratic-led states began stockpiling mifepristone in case new restrictions were put on the drug. [142] [143] [144] [145] [146] [147]

June 2023 - Abortion access dropped dramatically over last year

In the year after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that abortion was not a constitutionally guaranteed right, abortion access dropped dramatically, with 14 states outlawing the procedure entirely and another seven states imposing stricter laws. However, abortion procedures rose about 0.2 percent instead of decreasing as expected. In the two months before the Supreme Court ruling, there were 82,115 abortions per month. In the 12 months after the ruling, 82,298 abortions were performed on average per month. According to New York Times reporters Claire Cain Miller and Margot Sanger-Katz, the increase can be attributed to the “expansion of telemedicine for mail-order abortion pills, increased options and assistance for women who traveled, and a surge of publicity about ways to get abortions.” Additionally, 20 states increased abortion protections for both people seeking abortions and the health care providers who perform or assist abortions. [148]

March 19, 2023 - Abortions increased in 2023

The Guttmacher Institute reported an estimated 1,026,700 abortions in 2023. As explained by Isaac Maddow-Zimet, a data scientist with Guttmacher, “That’s the highest number in over a decade, [and] the first time there have been over a million abortions provided in the U.S. formal health care system since 2012.” Some experts believe the estimate to be an undercount due to the uncountable number of self-managed abortions in which medication is obtained from a friend or a pregnant person travels to Mexico and other countries for medication. [151]

March 4, 2024 - France adds abortion rights to constitution

On March 4, 2024, France became the first country to enshrine abortion rights in the country’s constitution. The constitutional amendment makes abortion up to 14 weeks a “guaranteed freedom,” meaning future lawmakers will not be able to “drastically modify” the protection. Abortions are allowed later in a pregnancy if the pregnant person’s physical or mental health is in danger or if certain anomalies are present in the fetus. The passage was not a surprise; the French have the highest support for legalized abortion, just after Sweden. [149]

March 14, 2024 - Kamala Harris visits Planned Parenthood

On March 14, 2024, Kamala Harris became the first sitting Vice President to visit an abortion clinic when she arrived at a Minnesota Planned Parenthood to speak to health-care providers and patients. [152]

May 2024 - 63 percent of Americans say abortion should be legal

A 2024 Pew Research Center poll found “63 percent say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 36 percent say it should be illegal in all or most cases.” [152]

October 1, 2024 - Infant mortality rates attract scrutiny

The infant mortality rate rose 7 percent in the 18 months following the Supreme Court’s Dobb decision. Prior to 2022, infant mortality rates were trending downward. A study published in JAMA Pediatrics found that 80 percent of those deaths were due to congenital abnormalities that caused the death of the babies shortly after their birth; prior to the Dobbs decision, many in these situations terminated their pregnancies, but their abortions were not counted as infant deaths; in the eyes of some, this kept the infant mortality rate artificially low. A majority of the 20 states with near-total abortion bans do not have exceptions for fetal abnormalities. [173]

October 22, 2024 - Those from states with bans seek online abortion pills or travel to legal abortion states

A study released in October 2024 found that in the 13 states with near-total abortion bans, abortion rates among residents rose in all but three (Idaho, Oklahoma, and Texas), with abortion pills obtained online or travel to a state with legal abortion driving most of the increases. [172]

December 2024 - Texas sues New York doctor

In December 2024, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued in civil court a New York doctor for mailing abortion pills to a 20-year-old woman in Texas. New York law shields doctors who provide abortion services, but Texas has a near ban on all abortions with a $100,000 fine for providing abortion medication. On February 13, 2025, a Texas judge fined the doctor $$100,000, plus about $13,000 in attorneys fees, court costs, and interest. The judge also banned the doctor “from prescribing abortion-inducing drugs to Texas residents.” New York cited the state’s shield law to protect the doctor from paying the fine. [168]

January 2025 - 62 percent of Americans are pro-choice

A January 2025 Knights of Columbus Maris poll found 62 percent of Americans identified as pro-choice, while 36 percent identified as pro-life. The split was partisan, with only 14 percent of Democrats and 34 percent of independents identifying as pro-life, while 63 percent of Republicans were pro-life. An overwhelming majority (86 percent) of all parties—91 percent of Democrats, 88 percent of independents, and 80 percent of Republicans—believed abortion should be available in cases of rape or incest, or to save the life of the pregnant person. [176]

January 2025 - States with abortion bans lose residents

A January 2025 working paper found that states with near-total abortion bans lost about 36,000 residents per quarter since the Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade. One of the authors extrapolated that over a 5-year stretch, these losses could add up to a loss of almost 1 percent of a state’s population. [174] [175]

February 2025 - Louisiana criminally indicts New York doctor

On February 1, 2025, a New York doctor was criminally indicted in Louisiana for providing abortion pills via an online appointment. Louisiana has a near total abortion ban, and doctors performing abortions face up to 15 years in prison, a $200,000 fine, and the loss of their medical license. District Attorney Tony Clayton likened shipping the pills to shipping fentanyl. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said she would not turn the doctor over to Louisiana authorities, while Attorney General Letitia James indicated that the New York shield law would protect the doctor and be enforced. Two days later Governor Hochul signed legislation that removes physicians’ names from prescriptions and instructed New York law enforcement to not comply with out-of-state warrants on such matters.[169] [170] [177]

March 17, 2025 - Texas arrests midwife and associate for providing abortions

In what seems to be the first criminal arrest of abortion providers in Texas since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned abortion protections in 2022, midwife Maria Margarita Rojas and associate Jose Ley were arrested in the Houston area for operating clinics that provided abortions. The charge—“the illegal performance of an abortion”—is a second-degree felony in Texas, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. [179] [180]

April 3, 2025 - Judge rules Alabama can’t prosecute groups for aiding out-of-state travel for abortions

The federal judge ruled that the state cannot prosecute, or threaten to prosecute, reproductive rights group who help Alabama residents travel to another state for abortions. Alabama, which has one of the strictest abortion bans with no exceptions for rape or incest, had threatened groups with class A felony charges. [181]

May 29, 2025 - Trump administration rescinds EMTALA protections for emergency abortions

The Department of Health and Human Services issued a memo rescinding the Biden Administration EMTALA (Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act) guidance on when abortion services must be provided. [178]

June 9, 2025 - Women and men split on abortion views

A Gallup poll found that 61 percent of women and 41 percent of men called themselves “pro choice”; 57 percent of women and 40 percent of men believed abortion is morally acceptable; and 56 percent of women and 41 percent of men believed abortion should be legal in any or most circumstances. The disparity between women’s and men’s opinions is the widest since 2022. [183]

June 26, 2025 - U.S. Supreme Court rules South Carolina can block funding to Planned Parenthood

South Carolina blocked Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood on the basis that the organization provides abortions. A woman who wished to transfer all of her reproductive health care to Planned Parenthood sued the state because Planned Parenthood was excluded from her options. The court ruled 6-3 that a provision of the Medicaid Act that requires states to ensure patients may access care from “any qualified provider” does not give the woman the ability to sue the state, thus allowing South Carolina to continue denying Medicaid funds to Planned Parenthood. [182]

September 30, 2025 - FDA approves generic abortion pill

The FDA approved a generic version of mifepristone. [226]

March 12, 2026 - Most Americans agree abortion should be legal in all or most cases

A Pew Research Center survey found that 60 percent of Americans agree abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while only 38 percent say it should be illegal in all or most cases. In a state-by-state survey, only one state’s population definitely said abortion should be illegal: Arkansas. All other states agreed the procedure should be legal or had no statistically significant difference between groups who think the procedure should be legal or illegal. [224]

March 12, 2026 - Most Americans agree medication abortion should be legal

A Pew Research Center survey found 55 percent of Americans agree that medication abortion should be legal, while 26 percent say it should be illegal, and 18 percent are not sure. [225]

March 19, 2026 - 52 percent say abortion is not morally wrong

A Pew Research Center poll found that while 47 percent of Americans say abortion is morally wrong, 21 percent say abortion is morally acceptable and 31 percent say abortion is not a moral issue.

However, 71 percent of Republicans say abortion is morally wrong, while only 24 percent of Democrats agree. [221]

March 24, 2026 - Abortion rates remain steady

The Guttmacher Institute reported an estimated 1,126,000 clinical abortions in 2025, which is statistically about the same as the 1,124,000 performed in 2024. Telehealth medication abortions increased in 2025 while travel for abortions decreased. [222] [223]