Amid legal battle, Arizona abortion rates dropped significantly, data shows
Download mp3 (1.01 MB)The number of abortions performed in Arizona dropped to the lowest level in more than a decade after the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 overturned Roe v. Wade, according to recently released data from the state.
Since the Supreme Court's 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision ended the federally protected right to abortion, there has been confusion in Arizona over which abortions should be allowed, if any. Now, the first report from the Arizona Department of Health Services that reflects abortion data from after the Dobbs decision shows the state has seen a significant drop in abortions amid the legal back-and-forth.
In the month of June 2022, 1,159 abortions were performed in Arizona. After the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, just 216 abortions were performed in July 2022.
In the decade before the ruling, Arizona averaged about 13,000 abortions per year, or about 10 abortions per 1,000 women annually. In 2022, Arizona doctors performed 11,407 abortions — the lowest number since 2010. And the abortion rate fell to 8 per 1,000 women — the lowest since 2009.
The most significant drops were later in pregnancy. Arizona’s law banning abortions after 15 weeks gestation took effect in fall 2022. The report shows abortions beyond 14 weeks decreased by 47% from 2021 to 2022.
The Arizona Supreme Court is still weighing whether Arizona can continue following the 15 week law, or if the state should return to a near-total abortion ban.
