Last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released updated abortion data for 2021. Unfortunately, the news is not good for pro-lifers. The data indicate that the number of abortions increased by approximately 5 percent between 2020 and 2021. The abortion uptick was fairly widespread, as 34 of the 46 states that reported data both years reported an abortion increase. This marks the third time in four years that the CDC has reported an increase in the incidence of abortion.

The increase in chemical abortions is playing an important role in this abortion increase. Between 2020 and 2021, the fraction of all abortions that are chemical abortion increased from 53.6 percent to 56.0 percent. As a matter of comparison, less than a third of abortions were chemical abortions as recently as 2016. In 2021, the Biden-administration FDA continued the Covid-era policy of allowing women to obtain chemical-abortion pills without an in-person medical exam. This made abortion policy even more permissive and likely contributed to this abortion increase.

[These data precede the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe and Casey. On the other hand, other data show that births increased 32,000 over the expected rate after the Dobbs decision last year, according to an analysis last week highlighted by Life News. That’s a net win, especially for the 32,000 lives saved. — Ed]