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The number of patients seeking abortions in the U.S. rose in 2020, reversing some 30 years of 

report released by the Guttmacher Institute

 on Wednesday, comes as the Supreme Court appears poised to overturn decades of precedent guaranteeing abortion rights.

The number of abortions recorded by Guttmacher's Abortion Provider Census rose to 930,160 in 2020, an 8 percent increase 

"The long-term decline in abortion is over, and the number of abortions in the United States is actually increasing," said Rachel K. Jones, a research scientist who co-authored an analysis of the data for Guttmacher, a research group that supports abortion rights.

The report lists several potential factors that may have contributed to the increase, including increased abortion access in some states through Medicaid expansion or the growth of abortion funds that help low-income people cover the costs of obtaining an abortion.

The report also notes that the Trump administration's overhaul of the federal Title X family planning program in 2019 prompted some

 receiving contraception through the program.

The increase in abortions took place nationwide, with the largest uptick in the West and Midwest. But at the state level, the numbers varied widely depending on local circumstances. For example, as a growing number of 

 prompted more patients to cross state borders for care, neighboring Illinois — a state with far fewer such laws — saw a 25 percent increase in abortions between 2017 and 2020.

If the Supreme Court overturns the existing abortion-rights precedent, Jones predicts a decline in the abortion rate, as some patients in states with restrictive laws will be unable to travel to obtain an abortion.

"The need for abortion is growing at a time when the Supreme Court is getting ready to strike down 

From 2017 to 2020, the birth rate fell 6 percent. Jones said that this indicates that fewer people were getting pregnant overall and that of those who did, more were seeking to end their pregnancies through abortion. 

Health

Social Issues

Sarah McCammon

Author

New data from the Guttmacher Institute shows the number of abortions rose in 2020, reversing a decades-long trend toward declining numbers.

With Roe on the precipice, Americans are having more abortions

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