The number of abortions provided by clinicians in the United States has declined this year as the effects of new restrictions become apparent and managing abortions outside the formal health care system becomes more common, a new report suggests.
Abortion access has been in flux over the past three years since the US Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision revoked the federal right to an abortion. Abortions increased nationwide in 2023 and into 2024, despite bans implemented by more than a dozen states and other barriers. However, there has been a notable decrease in 2025, according to data published Tuesday by the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization focused on sexual and reproductive health that supports abortion rights.
The Guttmacher report shows there were 5% fewer clinician-provided abortions in the first half of this year compared to the first half of last year—about 4,700 fewer abortions each month on average. While data from the first half of the year may not reflect final trends for the full year and many factors can affect abortion trends, the declines in clinician-provided abortions were largest in states that implemented bans after six weeks’ gestation and in those bordering states with total abortion bans.
Out-of-state travel for abortion remains significantly more common than before the Dobbs decision. Approximately 1 in 7 people who had an abortion in the first half of 2025 crossed state lines to do so. However, there was an 8% decline in such cases compared to the same period last year.
“These trends likely reflect the impact of recent abortion restrictions, the expanding availability of medication abortion via shield law provisions in states with total bans, the increasing hardship posed by travel for abortion care, and growing strains on abortion funds and support networks that help enable out-of-state travel for care,” the Guttmacher researchers wrote.
Florida has been a key access point for abortion care in the US. In 2023—the first full year after the Dobbs decision—about 1 in every 3 abortions in the South and about 1 in 12 nationwide took place in Florida, according to Guttmacher data. But a six-week abortion ban took effect in Florida in May 2024, leading to drastic changes.
There were 27% fewer clinician-provided abortions in Florida in the first half of this year compared to the first half of last year, the new Guttmacher data reveals. This drop—an average of about 2,000 fewer abortions each month—accounted for more than 40% of the national decrease.
“Since 2023, data from the Monthly Abortion Provision Study has consistently highlighted the devastating impact of early gestational bans on abortion access. What we see in Florida is a continuation of that trend,” said Isabel DoCampo, senior research associate at the Guttmacher Institute.
Eight states have enacted shield laws offering legal protections for providers practicing in places where abortion remains legal. These laws enable providers to prescribe medication abortion drugs via telehealth to people living in states with bans or restrictions. Although Guttmacher does not include data on abortions provided through shield laws in its reports, the Society of Family Planning tracks such information, showing steadily increasing numbers.
Growing use of shield laws could partially explain some of the national decline in clinician-provided abortions and out-of-state travel, Guttmacher researchers suggest. Nearly 14,000 abortions were provided through shield laws in December alone, according to the Society of Family Planning’s latest report.
“Shield laws and direct financial assistance for patients are necessary to help people living in restrictive states access the abortion care they need. As even more extreme threats to abortion loom, bold and decisive policy responses are more necessary than ever,” said Kelly Baden, Guttmacher Institute’s vice president of public policy.
Meanwhile, federal agencies are conducting their own review into the safety and efficacy of one of the drugs used in medication abortion, raising new concerns about potential limits on access. Earlier this month, US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary wrote in a letter to 22 Republican attorneys general that the “Administration will ensure that women’s health is properly protected by thoroughly investigating the circumstances under which mifepristone can be safely dispensed.”
Major medical groups, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, have repeatedly called for greater accessibility to mifepristone. However, anti-abortion advocates argue that the drug is not safe and claim the FDA did not study it sufficiently.
In June 2024, the US Supreme Court declined to block the drug’s availability but left the door open for future regulatory changes, placing the spotlight back on federal agencies such as the FDA.
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