Deep red state is America's surprising abortion hotspot despite overturning of Roe V Wade

Florida remained America's termination hotspot successful the archetypal months aft Roe v Wade was overturned, caller CDC information shows.

The Sunshine State recorded the astir abortions successful the federation successful 2022, with 82,581, according to the archetypal yearly study connected abortions nationwide since termination entree was axed federally successful June of that year.

This was astir 50 percent higher than the fig successful deep-blue Illinois, which registered 56,457 abortions, and New York City, which recorded 46,373 — and supra that successful akin reddish states similar Texas, which recorded 17,514 successful the aforesaid year.

When breached down by rate, which accounts for colonisation size, New Mexico was the apical authorities successful the federation followed by Illinois and Kansas. Florida came fourth. 

The study showed that the full fig of abortions fell 2 percent successful 2022 compared to the erstwhile year, and was down 5 percent connected astir a decennary ago.

More than 92.8 percent of abortions were carried retired earlier week-13 of pregnancy, and 78.6 percent were carried retired earlier week-9. Only 1.1 percent of abortions were recorded aft 21 weeks gestation, totalling 4,896.

Every property radical saw a diminution wrong the year, but for women aged 30 to 34 years aged — among whom abortions roseate slightly.

Doctors accidental a fetus is lone viable extracurricular the womb aft astir 24 weeks.

The CDC contacted each 50 states successful the US and requested information connected the fig of abortions recorded successful their country for the twelvemonth 2022.

Several states did not supply information for the study including California, the nation's astir populous state, Maryland and New Jersey.

Florida has been America's termination hotspot since 2020 erstwhile it overtook New York state, and allowed abortions up to the 26th week of gestation until June 2022, erstwhile Roe v Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court.

The pursuing period the authorities passed a prohibition connected abortions past week-15 of pregnancy, and successful May 2024 a six-week termination prohibition was brought into effect.

In 2022 and 2023, the 15-week bounds made the authorities a cardinal entree constituent for abortions successful the South — wherever galore different states adopted much restrictive bans. Its neighbour Alabama, for example, has banned abortions astatine each stages of pregnancy.

Attempts to displacement Florida's prohibition to 24 weeks were defeated astatine the ballot container this period aft lone 57 percent of Floridians voted successful favour — beneath the 60 percent threshold needed to walk the measure.

Donald Trump has previously described Florida's termination ban, which kicks successful earlier galore women recognize they are pregnant, arsenic a 'terrible mistake'.

Comparing the states by termination rate, which takes into relationship differences successful colonisation size, New Mexico has the highest termination complaint successful the state astatine 28.8 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 years old.

In 2nd spot was Illinois, astatine 22.8 per 1,000, and Kansas was successful 3rd place, astatine 21.6 per 1,000. By rate, Florida was ranked 4th astatine 20.5 per 1,000.

At the different extremity of the scale, Missouri had the lowest termination complaint of immoderate authorities astatine 0.1 per 1,000 — oregon 88 abortions — successful 2022.

South Dakota had the 2nd lowest, astatine 0.8 per 1,000, and West Virginia, Oklahoma and Idaho had the 3rd lowest astatine 2.7 per 1,000.

States with the highest termination rates were often besides administering abortions to women from extracurricular the state, arsenic good arsenic residents.

In New Mexico, 62 percent of abortions were for women who came from retired of state, and successful Illinois astir 30 percent of abortions were done for this group.

New Mexico borders Texas and Oklahoma, which person immoderate of the strictest limits connected termination successful the country, not allowing termination aft six weeks including successful instances of rape oregon incest.

Missouri was the archetypal authorities to marque virtually each abortions amerciable successful the US aft banning each but for those that were medically indispensable successful June 2022. 

This month, however, the prohibition was overturned astatine the ballot container by 52 to 48 percent, with the authorities present shifting to permitting abortions up to 24 weeks, erstwhile a fetus is viable extracurricular the womb.

South Dakota passed a likewise restrictive termination prohibition successful June 2022, and a measurement to overturn it was defeated this period aft lone 39 percent of residents voted successful favour of it being expanded.

Isaac Maddow-Zimet, a information idiosyncratic astatine the Guttmacher Institute, told the Guardian: '[This data] truly speaks to a [split] of access.

'On the 1 hand, you person galore states wherever termination has gotten incredibly hard to entree — states with full bans, states with six-week bans.

'And then, connected the different hand... we estimation that successful 2023 astir 168,000 [women] traveled crossed authorities lines to entree termination care, which is much than treble the fig of radical who traveled successful 2019 oregon 2020.'

He added: 'It speaks to the mode that [women] are going to truly large lengths — often with a batch of enactment from a batch of different organizations — successful bid to beryllium capable to entree termination attraction erstwhile they request it.'

CDC information besides showed that, successful 2022, the highest percent of abortions were performed arsenic an aboriginal aesculapian termination astatine earlier 9 weeks — astatine much than 53.3 percent.

Surgical termination earlier 13 weeks was the 2nd astir communal method, astatine 35.5 percent, portion 6.9 percent of abortions were carried retired surgicall station the 13-week mark.

Donald Trump has appointed Dr Dave Weldon to pb the CDC, who co-authored the 'Weldon Amendment' which barred the Department of Health and Human Services from 'discriminating' against wellness security plans that did not screen abortions.