Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America (SBA) has reported that approximately 60,000 abortions have been avoided in pro-life states following last year’s Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe V. Wade. The organization held a press conference recently to discuss the impact of the pro-life movement on the decreasing number of abortions since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling. SBA’s Vice President of State of Affairs, Stephen Billy, mentioned the difficulty of obtaining specific data but estimated that 60,000 abortions have been prevented due to state legislation.
Billy derived these figures from data provided by WeCount, a pro-abortion group. According to their data and surveys conducted in abortion centers nationwide, there’s been a significant drop in abortions in states with pro-life laws, from before the Dobbs decision to the present time. Billy further projected that once abortion restrictions are implemented in two dozen states, it could prevent over 200,000 abortions annually. WeCount’s data indicates that there were 32,260 fewer abortions between July and December 2022 compared to the same period post-Dobbs.
However, states that still allow abortions saw a rise in numbers post-Dobbs, with clinics registering an additional 1,858 abortions monthly. In December 2022, telehealth clinics, in particular, saw a sharp increase, averaging 8,540 abortions per month, up from 3,590 in April of the same year.
The President of SBA Pro-Life America, Marjorie Dannenfelser, stated during the press conference that despite the decreased numbers, a significant portion of the country’s population remains unprotected. She pointed out that about two-thirds of unborn children in states not enacting pro-life laws do not have a stable future. Dannenfelser stressed the importance of primary and general elections in addressing this issue.