Three Years After Roe: Abortion Numbers Are Rising, Accountability more Important than Ever

Three years after the fall of Roe v. Wade, one thing is tragically clear: the abortion industry hasn’t stopped, it has adapted.

According to the latest report from the Society of Family Planning’s #WeCount project, more than 1.14 million abortions were performed by licensed clinicians in the United States in 2024. That’s the highest number in over a decade and a stark reminder that while the legal landscape may have changed, the abortion industry has adapted quickly.

The #WeCount project tracks abortions conducted by medical professionals, both in-person and through telehealth services. It does not account for the growing number of self-managed abortions, where women obtain abortion drugs from overseas websites or unregulated distributors without any medical supervision. The real number of abortions is likely even higher, and far more dangerous.

The most alarming trend is the rise in chemical abortions facilitated through telehealth and mail-order pills. These now account for one in four reported abortions. In the last quarter of 2024 alone, over 70,000 women received abortion pills by mail, often with no in-person exam, no ultrasound, and no screening for life-threatening conditions like ectopic pregnancy.

Even more concerning is that roughly half of all telehealth abortions were prescribed and shipped from states like California, New York, and Massachusetts under so-called “shield laws.” These laws are designed not to protect women but rather to shield abortion providers from accountability. They allow abortionists to bypass state restrictions entirely, sending abortion pills across state lines into communities where abortion is illegal or tightly regulated.

While many states have enacted strong pro-life protections, abortion numbers continue to climb in states with little to no oversight. These states have become hubs for abortion tourism and telehealth distribution, with virtually no safeguards for women’s health. Abortion providers in these states often operate without meaningful regulation, exploiting legal loopholes to expand their reach across the country.

The result is a growing crisis: more abortions, fewer protections, and more women left to manage life-altering, and potentially life-threatening, procedures alone.

This is not progress. It is abandonment disguised as access. And it is the inevitable result of a system where the abortion industry is protected, but women are not.

The fall of Roe was never the end of the fight to protect life, it was only the beginning. And as abortion numbers rise in states with little to no oversight of the abortion industry, the need for accountability, enforcement, and real safeguards for women has never been more urgent.