Sixty-six abortion clinics in 15 states have stopped performing abortions since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June and returned laws related to abortion to individual states.
The research was released on Thursday by the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion-rights organization.
“Prior to June 24, these 15 states had a total of 79 clinics that provided abortion care. As of October 2, that number had dropped to 13, and all of them are located in Georgia. This means there are no providers currently offering abortions in 14 of the 15 states,” the institute stated in its press release.
“Among the 66 clinics where abortion is no longer available, 40 are still offering services other than abortion, while 26 have shut down entirely,” it added.
The list of 15 states includes Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
While the Guttmacher Institute claimed that the change is having “a devastating impact,” pro-life supporters across the nation are celebrating the decline in clinics offering abortion services.
The institute stated that 14 states where abortion is currently unavailable accounted for 125,780 abortions two years ago. Georgia, which now has a six-week abortion ban, has also effectively banned most abortions across the state.
In addition to state laws limiting abortion, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) announced a bill in September that would ban most abortions nationwide after 15 weeks.
The bill, dubbed the “Protecting Pain-Capable Unborn Children from Late-Term Abortions Act,” seeks a nationwide ban that would stop many abortions even in pro-abortion states like California and New York.
“I see this as a responsible alternative to the very radical position by Democratic senators,” Graham said. “I can assure that a vast majority of Americans do not support abortion on demand up to delivery.”
In contrast, efforts by some Democratic governors have sought to offer stronger protections for abortion services. Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed a package of pro-abortion laws and launched a billboard campaign in red states to invite women to travel to his state for abortion services.
“An alarming number of states continue to outlaw abortion and criminalize women, and it’s more important than ever to fight like hell for those who need these essential services. We’re doing everything we can to protect people from any retaliation for accessing abortion care while also making it more affordable to get contraceptives,” Newsom said.
“Our Legislature has been on the frontlines of this fight, and no other legislative body in the country is doing more to protect these fundamental rights – I’m proud to stand with them again and sign these critical bills into law,” he added.
The Biden administration has also sought to offer stronger abortion protections despite the Supreme Court’s ruling. Recent actions have included the launch of the government’s reproductiverights.gov website.
