DENVER — Demand for abortion care is on the rise.
Despite abortion restrictions in many states, more than 1 million abortions were performed in the U.S. in 2023, according to a new report from the Guttmacher Institute. That's a 10% increase from 2020 and the highest number in more than a decade.
"It's not really surprising, but it confirms a lot of what we suspected would happen. I mean, people are going to seek health care. What these abortion bans have done have simply shifted the landscape and the geography," said Laura Chapin, a spokesperson for Cobalt Abortion Fund.
Cobalt helps people who need financial help accessing abortion care.
Chapin said since the Dobbs decision overturning the right to abortion, they've stayed busy with women needing help both here in Colorado and around the country.
"We've seen an increase overall," Chapin said. "We've certainly seen an increase in people seeking medication abortion the same way you have everywhere else."
Chapin said medication abortion, like mifepristone, is helping more pregnant people access care.
While state bans or limitations are preventing some people from accessing abortion, Chapin said many more are finding other ways around.
"It has shifted the landscape. It has not shifted how many people are seeking abortion care or their willingness to go seek it out," Chapin said. "Colorado has very much become a haven state for a lot of people around the country and around the region."
"This data truly underscores how important abortion access is in planning our families and our futures," Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains said in a statement about the report. "We know that 1 in 5 patients in 2023 traveled across state lines to access care—that means hundreds of thousands of patients last year risked criminal penalties and fines, took time off of work, drove thousands of miles, or got on a plane for the first time in their life in order to get an abortion. Access to abortion care is that significant."
With nearly 1 in 5 patients traveling out of state for abortion care, Chapin said they're seeing large numbers of out-of-state people reaching out for help, including many coming from Texas.
Here in Colorado, many facilities are doing what they can to meet that demand.
"It's been amazing how many people have stepped up. I know that providers here are expanding their capacity," Chapin said.
Research has found medication abortion is safe and effective. But the future of mifepristone, an abortion drug approved by the FDA in 2000, is now facing a challenge.
Next week, the Supreme Court will hear arguments that could put access to the medication at risk, even in states like Colorado where abortion is legal.
Chapin said advocates nationwide are watching closely to see if the nation's highest court will once again restrict abortion care.
"What they are trying to do by restricting access, it’s purely political. It’s not about the safety or efficacy of the drug. It’s simply about trying to find ways to ban abortion care for certain people without doing it overtly," Chapin said. "And what we've seen with the Guttmacher report is access and availability absolutely must remain in place for people to get the healthcare they need."
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