National Right to Life on the 2021 Abortion Numbers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its annual “Abortion Surveillance Report” for the year 2021. The numbers showed an increase in abortions from the 2020 survey. Relying on reports from health departments across the country, the CDC reported 625,978 abortions for 2021 compared to 620,327 abortions for 2020. While it is an indication of abortion trends, this figure does not provide a complete picture of abortion in the United States. California (the nation’s most populous state), Maryland, New Hampshire, and New Jersey (new to 2021) did not report abortion data to the CDC. For context, it is important to remember that the numbers released on Wednesday are all from 2021, the year before the U.S. Supreme Court decision in June 2022 that reversed Roe v. Wade. In 2021, in the reporting areas included in the report, the CDC found an abortion rate of 11.6 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44 years, which is an increase from 2020. The CDC found a ratio of 204 abortions per 1,000 live births, which is an increase from 2020. Tragically, based on Wednesday’s report, the number of chemical abortions performed less than or at 9 weeks gestation has risen to 53%, and another 3% occur at greater than 9 weeks gestation for a total of 56%. Sadly, the CDC also reported six deaths from legal abortion in 2020, the latest year numbers are available.