Abortion Facts

Seven abortion methods are practiced in the U.S.:

• Medication Abortion
•  Suction (Vacuum) Aspiration
• Dilation and Curettage (D&C)
• Dilation and Evacuation (D&E)
• Intracardiac Injection Abortion
• Dilation and Extraction (D&X or Partial-Birth Abortion)
• Labor Induction Abortion

Each of these methods is described in detail below.

In a medication abortion, also known as a medical or chemical abortion or the “abortion pill,” a woman is administered an abortion-inducing compound called mifepristone (also called RU-486 or Mifeprex). Mifepristone blocks the action of progesterone, the natural hormone vital to maintaining the lining of the uterus. As the nutrient lining disintegrates, the embryo starves. Subsequently, the woman takes a dose of misoprostol, which initiates uterine contractions and causes the embryo to be expelled from the uterus. Mifepristone is approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) up to 70 days after the woman’s last menstrual period, but many abortionists prescribe it after 70 days, when side effects are known to be more severe.

Medication abortion is the most common form of abortion in the United States, accounting for more than half of all abortions.

Suction aspiration, the most common abortion method, is typically performed at 6–12 weeks gestation, but can be used up to 16 weeks. The cervix is dilated, and a hollow plastic tube with a sharp tip is inserted into the cervix and then into the uterus. An aspirator attached to the tube tears the body of the fetus apart and suctions the pieces through the tube.

In a D&C (dilation and curettage) abortion, typically performed in the first trimester, a surgical instrument called a curette­ — a sharp, looped knife — is inserted into the uterus to scrape its walls. The curette is then used to dismember the fetus and placenta.

A D&E (dilation and evacuation) abortion is typically performed in the first half of the second trimester (13–20 weeks), but can be used up to approximately 24 weeks. At this stage of pregnancy, the fetus’s tendons, muscles, and bones are more developed. In a D&E abortion, forceps are inserted into the uterus to forcibly dismember the fetus, and the pieces are removed one by one. Larger fetuses must also have their skulls crushed so the pieces can pass through the cervix.

Typically, the cervix must be dilated for a period of one to three days prior to a D&E abortion. This is most often done by inserting laminaria (dried seaweed sticks) into the cervix. Therefore, a D&E abortion usually requires two visits to the abortion facility.

In an intracardiac abortion, a needle is guided into the fetus’s heart with the aid of ultrasound, and poison (often potassium chloride or digoxin) is injected, causing an immediate heart attack. Intracardiac injection is most commonly used for “pregnancy reduction” abortions following in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures, if multiple embryos were implanted to increase the likelihood of pregnancy. In these cases, the procedure is typically performed between 10 and 12 weeks gestation.

Intracardiac injection is also used in late term abortions when there is likelihood of delivering a live baby, in order to avoid state laws that would require the baby to be resuscitated and given medical care.

A D&X (dilation and extraction) or partial-birth abortion is typically performed in the late second or third trimester. As with a D&E abortion (see above), the cervix must first be dilated, usually with laminaria (dried seaweed sticks). Forceps are then inserted into the uterus to grasp the fetus’s legs. The fetus is delivered breech while the head remains inside the birth canal. Using blunt-tipped surgical scissors, the base of the skull is pierced, and a suction catheter is inserted to extract the contents of the skull. This causes the skull to collapse, and the dead fetus is then fully delivered.

Despite the fact that the United States Supreme Court upheld the federal Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act in 2007, D&X abortions are likely still being performed. An abortionist can avoid violating the law by first injecting the fetus with a lethal intracardiac injection to ensure that the fetus will already be dead when it is partially delivered.

See also How is an intracardiac injection abortion performed? 

In a labor induction abortion, also called a medical induction abortion, the fetus is typically given a lethal intracardiac injection. The woman is then given medication (usually misoprostol or Pitocin) to initiate contractions and dilate the cervix. After a period of time, usually within a few hours, the woman goes into labor, and the dead fetus is delivered.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, there were approximately 930,000 abortions performed in the United States in 2020, the most recent year for which data is available. This amounts to 2,548 abortions per day.

The number of abortions performed in 2020 is up from the number in 2017 (the next most recent year for which data is available):

• Total abortions in 2020: 930,000
• Total abortions in 2017: 862,320

This is an increase of nearly 68,000 abortions from 2017 to 2020.

Since the legalization of abortion in 1973, there have been approximately 64 million abortions performed in the United States.

See also What impact did the Dobbs v. Jackson ruling have on abortion policy?

About 20% of all pregnancies end in abortion in the United States. There were approximately 930,000 abortions in 2020 compared to 3.61 million live births.

Based on the date of the mother’s last menstrual period, the breakdown of abortions is as follows:

Weeks of Pregnancy      Percentage     Yearly total

< 9 weeks                                65.4%                  563,958

9-10 weeks                             14.7%                  126,761

11-12 weeks                           8.2%                    70,710

13-15 weeks                           6.3%                    54,326

16-20 weeks                           4.1%                    35,355

20+ weeks                               1.3%                     11,210

All abortions                          100%                    862,320

This means approximately 88% of abortions occur in the first trimester (first 12 weeks) of pregnancy.

Note: The figures here differ from the total listed on page 30, which is from a preliminary report that does not break abortions down by weeks.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, abortion breaks down along racial/ethnic lines as follows:

• White: 39%   
• Hispanic: 25%
• Black: 28%   
• Other: 9%

While blacks and Hispanics comprise only 32% of the population, they account for nearly 53% of all abortions. A black baby is nearly four times as likely to be aborted as a white baby; a Hispanic baby is nearly twice as likely to be aborted as a white baby.

Women living below the federal poverty line abort at a higher rate than women living above the poverty line. The Guttmacher Institute reports that a single woman below the poverty line is six times more likely to abort than a woman who is not low-income.

See also What if a pregnant woman is too poor to raise a child?

According to the Guttmacher Institute, the age breakdown of women having abortions is as follows (numbers rounded):

• Less than 15 years: < 0.7%
• Age 15–17: 3%
• Age 18–19: 8%
• Age 20–24: 34%
• Age 25–29: 27%
• Age 30+:  27%

This means that less than half of all abortions are performed on women 24 years old or younger.

Forty-five percent of women procuring abortions have had at least one previous abortion.

Research indicates that 98% of all abortions are related to issues of  “personal choice.” The primary reasons women give for having an abortion include not feeling emotionally capable (32%) or financially capable (30%) of raising a child, and concern that having a child would drastically alter her life (16%).

The Guttmacher Institute found that more than half of women having abortions had been using contraception during the month they became pregnant.

See also What percentage of all abortions are because of “hard cases”? and How often are women coerced into getting abortions?

The phrase “late term abortion” refers to abortions that take place after 20 weeks, or after viability — the stage at which a fetus can survive outside the womb with medical care — which is generally considered to be about 22 weeks. The phrase  “abortion later in pregnancy” is also sometimes used to refer to these abortions.

See also Why do women have late term abortions? and There’s no such thing as “late term” abortion!

Many people believe — and many abortion advocates claim — that late term abortions are only performed in cases involving a severe health risk to the mother or a serious anomaly. However, data from abortion providers reveals this is true for only a small minority of late term abortions.

In fact, the reasons given for the majority of these abortions are no different from those women give for their abortions much earlier in pregnancy, such as financial concerns or other personal reasons.

See also What is “late term” abortion?, What if there’s something “wrong” with the baby?, and What if a woman needs an abortion to save her life?

The three most frequently cited “hard cases” in which some argue abortion might be justified are rape, incest and protecting the life of the mother. However, women rarely report that they are seeking an abortion for any of these reasons:

• Rape: 0.3%
• Incest: 0.03%
• Protection of mother’s life: 0.1%

In other words, out of 1,000 women procuring abortion, only three cite rape as the primary reason, and only one cites protecting her life as the reason for the abortion. Out of 10,000 women procuring abortion, only three cite incest as a reason.

See also Shouldn’t abortion be legal in cases of rape and incest? and What if a woman needs an abortion to save her life?

Women often report that they feel pressured to get an abortion by others in their lives — boyfriends, parents, teachers, friends, employers and others. A 2023 study found that only 33% of women described their abortions as wanted, while 43% said the abortion was “inconsistent with their values and preferences,” and 24% — nearly one quarter — described their abortions as unwanted or even coerced. Fully 60% of the women in this study said they would not have gotten the abortion if they had more financial security or support from others in their lives.

A miscarriage is the sudden loss of a pregnancy and death of the developing embryo or fetus before the 20th week. While the technical medical term for a miscarriage is “spontaneous abortion,” naturally occurring miscarriage should not be confused with abortion as used in common parlance to refer to the intentional killing of a developing embryo or fetus.

See also What is an abortion? and If you ban abortion, women will be denied treatment for miscarriage 

The vast majority of abortions are performed at abortion clinics (54%) or at family planning clinics that offer abortion, such as Planned Parenthood facilities (43%). The remainder are performed at hospitals (3%) and doctors’ offices (1%).

See also How many abortion facilities are there in the United States?

According to the website AbortionDocs.org, there are 397 facilities specializing in abortion — commonly called “abortion clinics” — plus another 293 offering only medical abortions. The vast majority of abortions are performed at these facilities. Many abortions are also performed at hospitals and physicians’ offices, but a precise accounting of these locations is not available.

See also Where are most abortions performed?

Abortion advocates use the term “self-managed abortion” to refer to an abortion performed outside a medical context, either on one’s own or with the assistance of non-medical personnel, typically with the use of abortion drugs ordered online. Self-managed abortion is becoming increasingly common, with one study showing that over 57,000 individuals in the U.S. requested mifepristone and misoprostol from one online provider over a two-year period.

See also How is a medication abortion performed?

Among the physical risks of abortion are infection, perforation of the uterus, hemorrhage, cervical incompetence, cancer, and even death. Among the psychological risks are depression, nervous disorders, sleep disturbances, sexual dysfunction, alcohol and drug abuse, eating disorders, child neglect or abuse, divorce or chronic relationship problems, and suicide.

Because of the poor quality of abortion reporting in the United States, many important facts about abortion remain uncertain or unknown. This includes the exact number of abortions each year, the number of women injured or killed by abortion, the number of late term abortions, the number of women receiving abortion pills through the mail, and the number of infants born alive during abortions. While some of these figures can be estimated, more robust abortion reporting is desperately needed.

Though laws vary from state to state regarding protocols for the disposal of aborted fetal remains — technically known as “fetal disposition” — in most cases, these remains are transferred by the abortion provider to a company specializing in the disposal of medical waste. Typically, these remains are incinerated. In some states, the law requires fetal remains to be buried or cremated. In other states, laws are so loose that fetal remains can legally be put down a garbage disposal and into the public sewers.

Authorities have discovered numerous cases of abortion providers or medical waste disposal companies illegally disposing of fetal remains. These remains have been found dumped in landfills, stockpiled in warehouses, and even hoarded in abortion providers’ offices, homes, and car trunks.

In a handful of cases, pro-life activists have recovered fetal remains and given them a proper burial. There are over 50 such burial sites scattered throughout the United States.