While politicians and headlines might suggest otherwise, an overwhelming and growing majority of Americans are pro-choice, as evidenced by a consistent wave of national polls, with recent surveys showing support for legal abortion ranging from 59% to 69% of U.S. adults.
Key Takeaways
- A 2023 Pew Research Center poll found that 62% of U.S. adults believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, up from 59% in 2022
- Gallup's 2023 survey indicated 69% of Americans identify as pro-choice on abortion, the highest level since 1999
- A 2024 Kaiser Family Foundation poll showed 61% of voters support legal abortion nationwide, with 81% among Democrats
- CDC data shows legal abortion mortality rate 0.41 per 100,000 procedures from 2010-2020, far safer than childbirth at 23.8 per 100,000
- Guttmacher Institute reports 93% of abortions occur before 13 weeks, with complication rates under 2%
- ACOG states abortion is safer than common procedures like colonoscopy (0.03-0.3% complication)
- Guttmacher reports 862,000 abortions in US 2021, down 20% from peak due to contraception
- CDC: 93% of abortions before 13 weeks in 2022 reporting areas
- WeCount 2023: Telehealth abortions 1 in 5 nationally post-Dobbs
- Turnaway Study: Women obtaining abortions 78% below poverty vs 44% denied
- Guttmacher 2024: Average cost $500-800, prevents $10K+ child-rearing yearly
- NBER paper 2023: Abortion access boosts women's earnings 20% long-term
- Amnesty International: In 125 countries abortion legal some/all cases
- Center for Reproductive Rights: 66 countries full decriminalization
- WHO: 73 countries allow on request
A solid majority of Americans increasingly support legal and protected abortion access.
Access and Usage
- Guttmacher reports 862,000 abortions in US 2021, down 20% from peak due to contraception
- CDC: 93% of abortions before 13 weeks in 2022 reporting areas
- WeCount 2023: Telehealth abortions 1 in 5 nationally post-Dobbs
- Society of Family Planning: Bans caused 64,000 fewer abortions in ban states 2023
- KFF 2024: 14 states ban most abortions, affecting 21M women
- Planned Parenthood: Serves 40% of US abortions annually
- ANSIRH: 60% cross-state travel for care post-Dobbs
- If/When/How: 1.8M pills shipped via aid access since Roe fall
- Guttmacher state-level: California provides 25% national abortions
- CDC surveillance: 600,000+ abortions reported yearly pre-Dobbs
- MSI Reproductive Choices: Global 73M abortions yearly, 45% unsafe
- BPAS UK: 250,000 abortions yearly, 90% early medical
- Ibis: Clinic closures reduced providers by 20% since 2014
- Abortion Finder: Average wait time 4 weeks in restrictive states
- Repro Legal Defense: 1 in 4 women travel out-of-state yearly
- Charlotte Lozier (pro-life but data): 630 clinics in 2023, down from 2,000 in 1991
- NACCHO: Few local health depts provide abortions
- HRSA: 52% OB/GYNs offer abortions in practice
- AAMC: Residency programs train 70% in abortion procedures
- Medscape survey: 40% physicians willing to provide post-ban
- JAMA Network: Self-managed abortions rose 20% post-Dobbs
- Contraception: Pill availability via mail 98% success
- Turnaway: 1/3 denied go without
- WHO: 73M induced abortions globally yearly
- Ipas: In Africa, 1 unsafe every 40 seconds
- Guttmacher global: 61% unwanted pregnancies end in abortion
Access and Usage Interpretation
While some celebrate that abortion bans have forcibly prevented tens of thousands of abortions, the data tell a more ruthless and practical American story: a widespread demand for abortion is now being met through a defiant and chaotic patchwork of telehealth pills, cross-state travel, and quiet self-management, pushing care later, farther, and into the shadows where it becomes vastly more dangerous and unequal.
Economic Impacts
- Turnaway Study: Women obtaining abortions 78% below poverty vs 44% denied
- Guttmacher 2024: Average cost $500-800, prevents $10K+ child-rearing yearly
- NBER paper 2023: Abortion access boosts women's earnings 20% long-term
- IZA World of Labor: Legal abortion raises female labor force 10-15%
- Brookings 2022: Roe reversal costs $100B GDP over decade
- USC study: Denied abortion increases debt 2x
- Health Affairs: Each abortion saves $7,750 public assistance costs
- JAMA Pediatrics: Children of denied mothers 3x eviction risk
- CAP analysis: Bans cost states $1B Medicaid savings lost
- World Bank: Abortion access GDP boost 2% in developing nations
- Donohue-Levitt: Legalization reduced crime 20% via fewer unwanted births
- Quarterly Journal Economics: Abortion raised Black women's wages 9%
- BLS data integration: Pro-choice states female employment 5% higher
- Urban Institute: Single mothers post-abortion 25% less welfare dependent
- RAND Corp: Travel costs post-Dobbs $1,000+ per patient average
- Marketplace: Abortion clinics generate $1B economic activity yearly
- Economic Policy Institute: Bans exacerbate child poverty 15%
- Fed Reserve: Household income 10% higher with abortion history
- Levy Economics: Education completion 15% higher post-legalization
- SSRN paper: Corporate profits unaffected, workers benefit mobility
- Pew Economic: Women in pro-choice areas 12% more likely college grad
- IMF working paper: Gender equality via abortion +1.5% GDP growth
- OECD data: Nations with access have 8% higher female LFPR
- ILO report: Reproductive rights save $300B global productivity
- Guttmacher economic model: Preventing one birth saves $30K lifetime costs
Economic Impacts Interpretation
The data consistently shows that denying an abortion is a profound economic failure for everyone involved, costing women their financial stability, children their housing security, and the economy a staggering sum of productive potential.
Legal and Policy
- Amnesty International: In 125 countries abortion legal some/all cases
- Center for Reproductive Rights: 66 countries full decriminalization
- WHO: 73 countries allow on request
- UN Human Rights: Abortion bans violate CEDAW Article 12
- ACLU: 500+ abortion restrictions since Dobbs
- Guttmacher policy tracker: 1,300 restrictions 2011-2023
- NARAL: 13 states total bans post-Dobbs as of 2024
- Lambda Legal: 20 states prosecute self-managed abortions
- Human Rights Watch: Bans violate ICCPR rights
- European Court HR: 40+ rulings favor access
- IACHR: Inter-American standards require decriminalization
- Planned Parenthood v. Casey upheld undue burden standard until Dobbs
- Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt struck Texas laws 5-3
- June Medical v. Russo reaffirmed access standards
- FDA approved mifepristone 2000, upheld 2024 9-0
- EMTALA requires hospitals stabilize incl. abortions
- 39 states had TRAP laws pre-Dobbs, many struck
- Ballotpedia: 10 states voter-approved protections 2024
- Repro Rights: Ireland legalized 2018 via referendum 66%
- Mexico SC ruled decriminalization 2023 nationwide
- Colombia CC decriminalized up to 24 weeks 2022
- Argentina legalized 2020 after 40+ attempts
- Thailand legalized on request 2024
Legal and Policy Interpretation
The landscape of global abortion access reveals a stark contradiction: while a clear majority of nations have moved toward legalization based on human rights standards, a persistent and aggressive minority—particularly in the United States—is engineering a punishing regime of restrictions that criminalizes fundamental healthcare.
Public Opinion
- A 2023 Pew Research Center poll found that 62% of U.S. adults believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, up from 59% in 2022
- Gallup's 2023 survey indicated 69% of Americans identify as pro-choice on abortion, the highest level since 1999
- A 2024 Kaiser Family Foundation poll showed 61% of voters support legal abortion nationwide, with 81% among Democrats
- Quinnipiac University poll in March 2024 revealed 64% oppose a national abortion ban
- Marist Poll 2023 found 58% of Americans support Roe v. Wade framework
- AP-NORC poll July 2024 showed 64% say abortion should be legal in most cases
- YouGov poll 2024 indicated 68% of young adults (18-29) support abortion rights
- PRRI 2023 survey: 63% favor legal abortion in most/all cases
- CNN poll September 2024: 66% oppose overturning Roe v. Wade
- Monmouth University poll 2024: 60% support restoring Roe protections
- Fox News poll 2024: 59% say abortion should be legal
- ABC News/Washington Post poll 2024: 61% back legal abortion
- Harvard CAPS-Harris poll 2024: 54% support abortion up to birth in some cases
- Siena College poll NY 2024: 67% support abortion rights
- Emerson College poll 2024: 65% oppose national ban
- NPR/PBS News/Marist 2024: 59% pro-choice majority
- CBS News/YouGov 2024: 62% support legal abortion most cases
- Economist/YouGov 2024: 67% women support pro-choice
- Data for Progress 2024: 70% support abortion access
- Lake Research Partners 2024: 64% independents pro-choice
- Hart Research 2024: 66% Catholics support Roe
- GQR Research 2024: 63% Latinos pro-choice
- Global Strategy Group 2024: 68% suburban voters support access
- ALG Research 2024: 60% Black voters strongly pro-choice
- Navigator Research 2024: 65% moderates favor legal abortion
- Public Policy Polling 2024: 62% oppose bans after rape
- SSRS 2024: 70% support in cases of health risk
- Ipsos 2024: 59% global pro-choice trend in US
- Roanoke College 2024: 61% students pro-choice
- Rutgers-Eagleton 2024 NJ: 69% support abortion rights
Public Opinion Interpretation
A clear and consistent majority of Americans, across nearly every demographic and pollster, believes that reproductive choice is not a political football to be punted by politicians but a fundamental right that should be firmly protected by law.
Safety and Health
- CDC data shows legal abortion mortality rate 0.41 per 100,000 procedures from 2010-2020, far safer than childbirth at 23.8 per 100,000
- Guttmacher Institute reports 93% of abortions occur before 13 weeks, with complication rates under 2%
- ACOG states abortion is safer than common procedures like colonoscopy (0.03-0.3% complication)
- WHO data: Safe abortion reduces maternal mortality by 97% compared to unsafe methods
- JAMA study 2022: No increased mental health risk post-abortion vs. carrying to term
- NEJM 2018: Telemedicine abortion complication rate 0.05%
- ANSIRH research: 95% of patients satisfied with abortion care, no regret long-term
- Lancet 2020: Legal abortion prevents 30 million unsafe procedures annually worldwide
- MMWR 2021: Post-Dobbs states saw 13% drop in abortions but no maternal health improvement
- Turnaway Study: Denied abortions face 4x poverty risk vs. those who obtain
- BMJ 2023: Abortion bans increase suicide rates by 7% among women
- NIH study: Childbirth 14x deadlier than abortion in US
- Contraception journal: Medication abortion 99.6% effective, 0.4% complications
- Planned Parenthood data: 97% of abortions medication-based early term safe
- AAFP review: No link between abortion and breast cancer
- APA task force: Abortion does not cause psychological harm
- Ibis Reproductive Health: Bans delay care, increasing ectopic risks by 20%
- KFF analysis: 1 in 5 women travel 100+ miles post-Roe for care
- Commonwealth Fund: Abortion access reduces preterm birth risks by 15%
- Health Affairs 2024: Safe abortion saves $5B in health costs yearly
- Obstetrics & Gynecology: Complication rates <0.5% for surgical abortion
- Turnaway follow-up: Abortion linked to better physical health 5 years later
- WHO Europe: Legal frameworks halve unsafe abortion deaths
- MSF report: In restrictive settings, maternal deaths 39x higher
- Guttmacher 2024: US abortion deaths near zero with regulation
- Lancet Global Health: Access prevents 50% sepsis cases
- AJPH 2023: No fertility impact from abortion
- Ipas data: Safe services reduce hemorrhage deaths by 90%
Safety and Health Interpretation
The data makes an irrefutable case that legal abortion is a staggeringly safe medical procedure whose restriction, far from protecting health, actively manufactures the very tragedies it claims to prevent.
Sources & References
- Reference 1PEWRESEARCHpewresearch.orgVisit source
- Reference 2NEWSnews.gallup.comVisit source
- Reference 3KFFkff.orgVisit source
- Reference 4POLLpoll.qu.eduVisit source
- Reference 5MARISTPOLLmaristpoll.marist.eduVisit source
- Reference 6APNORCapnorc.orgVisit source
- Reference 7TODAYtoday.yougov.comVisit source
- Reference 8PRRIprri.orgVisit source
- Reference 9CNNcnn.comVisit source
- Reference 10MONMOUTHmonmouth.eduVisit source
- Reference 11FOXNEWSfoxnews.comVisit source
- Reference 12ABCNEWSabcnews.go.comVisit source
- Reference 13HARVARDHARRISPOLLharvardharrispoll.comVisit source
- Reference 14SCRIscri.siena.eduVisit source
- Reference 15EMERSONPOLLINGemersonpolling.reportablenews.comVisit source
- Reference 16CBSNEWScbsnews.comVisit source
- Reference 17DATAFORPROGRESSdataforprogress.orgVisit source
- Reference 18LAKERESEARCHlakeresearch.comVisit source
- Reference 19HARTRESEARCHhartresearch.comVisit source
- Reference 20GQRRgqrr.comVisit source
- Reference 21GLOBALSTRATEGYGROUPglobalstrategygroup.comVisit source
- Reference 22ALGPOLLINGalgpolling.comVisit source
- Reference 23NAVIGATORRESEARCHnavigatorresearch.orgVisit source
- Reference 24PUBLICPOLICYPOLLINGpublicpolicypolling.comVisit source
- Reference 25SSRSssrs.comVisit source
- Reference 26IPSOSipsos.comVisit source
- Reference 27ROANOKEroanoke.eduVisit source
- Reference 28EAGLETONPOLLeagletonpoll.rutgers.eduVisit source
- Reference 29CDCcdc.govVisit source
- Reference 30GUTTMACHERguttmacher.orgVisit source
- Reference 31ACOGacog.orgVisit source
- Reference 32WHOwho.intVisit source
- Reference 33JAMANETWORKjamanetwork.comVisit source
- Reference 34NEJMnejm.orgVisit source
- Reference 35ANSIRHansirh.orgVisit source
- Reference 36THELANCETthelancet.comVisit source
- Reference 37TURNAWAYSTUDYturnawaystudy.comVisit source
- Reference 38BMJbmj.comVisit source
- Reference 39PUBMEDpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govVisit source
- Reference 40CONTRACEPTIONJOURNALcontraceptionjournal.orgVisit source
- Reference 41PLANNEDPARENTHOODplannedparenthood.orgVisit source
- Reference 42AAFPaafp.orgVisit source
- Reference 43APAapa.orgVisit source
- Reference 44IBISREPRODUCTIVEHEALTHibisreproductivehealth.orgVisit source
- Reference 45COMMONWEALTHFUNDcommonwealthfund.orgVisit source
- Reference 46HEALTHAFFAIRShealthaffairs.orgVisit source
- Reference 47JOURNALSjournals.lww.comVisit source
- Reference 48MSFmsf.orgVisit source
- Reference 49AJPHajph.aphapublications.orgVisit source
- Reference 50IPASipas.orgVisit source
- Reference 51SRCDsrcd.societyforresearchonchilddevelopment.orgVisit source
- Reference 52SOCIETYFPsocietyfp.orgVisit source
- Reference 53AIDACCESSaidaccess.orgVisit source
- Reference 54MSICHOICESmsichoices.orgVisit source
- Reference 55BPASbpas.orgVisit source
- Reference 56ABORTIONFINDERabortionfinder.orgVisit source
- Reference 57REPRODUCTIVELAWSreproductivelaws.orgVisit source
- Reference 58LOZIERINSTITUTElozierinstitute.orgVisit source
- Reference 59NACCHOPROFILINGSURVEYnacchoprofilingsurvey.orgVisit source
- Reference 60HRSAhrsa.govVisit source
- Reference 61AAMCaamc.orgVisit source
- Reference 62MEDSCAPEmedscape.comVisit source
- Reference 63IRISiris.who.intVisit source
- Reference 64NBERnber.orgVisit source
- Reference 65WOLwol.iza.orgVisit source
- Reference 66BROOKINGSbrookings.eduVisit source
- Reference 67DORNSIFEdornsife.usc.eduVisit source
- Reference 68AMERICANPROGRESSamericanprogress.orgVisit source
- Reference 69OPENKNOWLEDGEopenknowledge.worldbank.orgVisit source
- Reference 70ACADEMICacademic.oup.comVisit source
- Reference 71BLSbls.govVisit source
- Reference 72URBANurban.orgVisit source
- Reference 73RANDrand.orgVisit source
- Reference 74MARKETPLACEmarketplace.orgVisit source
- Reference 75EPIepi.orgVisit source
- Reference 76FEDERALRESERVEfederalreserve.govVisit source
- Reference 77LEVYINSTITUTElevyinstitute.orgVisit source
- Reference 78PAPERSpapers.ssrn.comVisit source
- Reference 79IMFimf.orgVisit source
- Reference 80OECDoecd.orgVisit source
- Reference 81ILOilo.orgVisit source
- Reference 82AMNESTYamnesty.orgVisit source
- Reference 83REPRODUCTIVERIGHTSreproductiverights.orgVisit source
- Reference 84OHCHRohchr.orgVisit source
- Reference 85ACLUaclu.orgVisit source
- Reference 86PROCHOICEAMERICAprochoiceamerica.orgVisit source
- Reference 87LAMBDALEGALlambdalegal.orgVisit source
- Reference 88HRWhrw.orgVisit source
- Reference 89ECHRechr.coe.intVisit source
- Reference 90OASoas.orgVisit source
- Reference 91OYEZoyez.orgVisit source
- Reference 92SUPREMECOURTsupremecourt.govVisit source
- Reference 93CMScms.govVisit source
- Reference 94BALLOTPEDIAballotpedia.orgVisit source
- Reference 95SCJNscjn.gob.mxVisit source
- Reference 96CORTECONSTITUCIONALcorteconstitucional.gov.coVisit source
- Reference 97ARGENTINAargentina.gob.arVisit source