Abortions Increase 1.2% as Abortion Pills Kill More Babies
Last month, the Guttmacher Institute released a new analysis of 2025 abortion data.
Because several states are enforcing strong pro-life laws, many women travel to other states to obtain abortions. Specifically, the report found that, in 2025, more than 140,000 women obtained abortions outside their state of residence.
In particular, there was a large increase in the number of Florida women who sought abortions elsewhere because of the 2024 Heartbeat Act. The Guttmacher report indicates that between 2024 and 2025, the number of Florida women who traveled to other states to obtain abortions increased by approximately 24 percent.
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Even though large numbers of women travel to obtain abortions, the overall number of out-of-state abortions actually fell in 2025. For instance, in Texas, the number of women obtaining abortions in other states fell by over 19 percent. That is because telehealth abortions are becoming more common. Instead of incurring the travel costs, many women simply have chemical abortion pills delivered to their home. Overall, Guttmacher finds that in states with abortion bans, 91,000 telehealth abortions took place, an increase of over 22 percent from 2024.
Data like these can certainly be disheartening for pro-lifers. The media spin is that, because of out-of-state travel and telehealth abortions, pro-life laws are ineffective. But it is important to note the strong body of research that suggests that recently enacted pro-life laws are still saving lives. Three separate studies analyzing Texas birth data have found that the Texas Heartbeat Act saves approximately 1,000 lives every month. Three other studies in peer-reviewed journals analyzing birth data from a range of states all conclude that recently enacted pro-life laws have saved tens of thousands of lives.
Overall, much of the media coverage of this Guttmacher report has focused on the increase in telehealth abortions and the decrease in the number of women who are traveling to other states to obtain abortions. However, the report also contains the first abortion estimates from 2026. It finds that, in the first three months this year, 296,130 abortions were performed in the United States — a 1.2 percent increase compared with the first three months of 2025. The continued slow rise in the U.S. abortion rate is further evidence that the Trump administration needs to prioritize placing limits on chemical abortions.
LifeNews.com Note: Dr. Michael New is a professor at Ave Maria University. He is a former political science professor at the University of Michigan–Dearborn and holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University. He is a fellow at Witherspoon Institute in Princeton, New Jersey.
