Abortion rates decrease by 3% annually post Roe v Wade reversal.

A Year After the Dobbs Decision: Abortion Rates Decline as States Implement Restrictions

A year has passed since the Supreme Court’s landmark Dobbs decision, and the impact on abortion access in the United States is becoming evident. Legal abortions have decreased by 3% nationwide as several states have taken steps to limit or even ban abortion.

The Dobbs decision, handed down on June 24, 2022, granted all 50 states the authority to make decisions regarding abortion restrictions. In the year following this historic ruling, many Republican-led states have implemented measures to limit access to abortion. As a result, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of abortions performed in Democratic-led states, as reported by Axios.

Illinois Experiences a Surge in Abortion Patients

Planned Parenthood of Illinois has witnessed a significant 54% increase in the number of abortion patients over the past year. This surge can be attributed to the fact that Illinois, a Democrat-led state, is surrounded by several Republican-led states with stricter abortion regulations.

Public Opinion Remains Divided

The public’s opinion on the Dobbs decision has remained largely unchanged in the 12 months since its announcement. According to a national poll conducted in June 2023, 57% of respondents opposed the decision, marking a 1% increase from when the precedent was struck down. Notably, only 25% of Democrats support the Dobbs decision, while a significant 68% of Republicans stand in favor.

President Joe Biden took to social media to mark the one-year anniversary of the Dobbs decision, expressing his disappointment with the Supreme Court’s ruling. He stated, “The Supreme Court took away a constitutional right from the American people.” Biden also emphasized the need for Congress to codify the protections of Roe v. Wade to ensure lasting safeguards for reproductive rights.

Click here to read more from The Washington Examiner.

The Justices Behind the Dobbs Decision

A year ago, several Supreme Court justices appointed by Republican presidents joined Justice Samuel Alito in authoring the opinion for the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The ruling upheld Mississippi’s law banning abortion after 15 weeks of gestation. Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Chief Justice John Roberts all voted in favor of the decision.

The syllabus of the opinion stated, “The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled; and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives.”

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