It has been over four months since the ultraconservative U.S. Supreme Court repealed Roe v. Wade and the impact has been disastrous.
A new report by the Society of Family Planning, named the #WeCount Report, measures the decrease or increase in abortion provision by each state since federal protections for abortion ended on June 24, 2022.
Using data from abortions provided by clinics, private medical offices, hospitals and virtual-only providers, the report compares data from April 2022 — before Roe was overturned — to data from August 2022, two months after Roe was reversed.
The findings are staggering:
- In July and August, there were 5,270 and 5,400 fewer abortions than in April.
- That means that state bans made it impossible for at least 10,600 people to receive abortion care in the first two months without Roe.
- The 13 states that banned abortion have seen a 95 percent decrease in abortions. In Freedom From Religion Foundation’s home state of Wisconsin, there has been a 100 percent decrease in abortions.
- The report notes that there are insurmountable barriers for accessing out-of-state abortion care when abortion is decreased by 95 percent, without a comparable increase in states where abortion is legal.
While we may have a tendency to think of this as merely statistics or numbers, it is important to remind ourselves that these numbers represent humans who have been denied their right to comprehensive reproductive health care. And that is ruinous to thousands of people and their families.For instance, the landmark research project, The Turnaway Study, examined the impact of women who were denied a wanted abortion. The findings concluded that denying abortion leads to economic hardship and insecurity for years, compels women to stay in abusive relationships, and contributes to serious health complications, including death from childbirth.
The #WeCount report shows that in July and August, over 10,000 people were denied abortion care, upending their personal, physical, mental and financial lives.
This is a sobering reminder that abortion legislation has no room for religion, particularly Christian nationalism. Evidence-based research shows that abortion is not only health care but that denying that health care is devastating to thousands of people.
As secular voters and activists, we can show up in support of abortion access by focusing on facts — not faith.
- Sign up for Action Alerts
- Sign up for News Releases
- Read “Abortion is a Blessing,” by Anne Nicol Gaylor, FFRF’s principal founder whose pioneering work for abortion rights propelled her into state/church activism.
- Learn what the bible says about abortion (hint: nothing!)
- Support the Women’s Medical Fund, which was co-founded in the late 1970s and administered until 2015 by Anne Gaylor as a volunteer. The fund has supported more than 1,000 Wisconsin residents in 2022 obtain affordable abortion care. You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
