A new study from the nonprofit Society of Family Planning finds that New Jersey and the Northeast region experienced a 7% increase in legal abortions from April 2022 to August 2022, after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and ended its federal protection of abortion rights. The report shows a shift in where people obtain abortion care in both restricted-access and protected-access states. Overall, abortion rates dropped 6% nationally.
In states that banned or severely restricted the procedure, rates dropped 95%. In states like New Jersey, where there are no or few restrictions, the rate rose by about 11%. Abortion rights advocates say they anticipated and were prepared for the increase, while anti-abortion activists say they’re pleased abortion numbers didn’t jump significantly.
