us

 People’s History of Abortion Care in the United States - Zinn Education Project 

Abortion and reproductive justice are key issues that feminists have worked on starting in the second wave of feminism.

Key terms

• Pro-choice: in favor of a person’s right to choose to have an abortion
• Pro-life: against a person’s right to choose to have an abortion

Abortion is a very hot topic in the US.  According to Pew Research Center, as of 2022 61% of US adults think abortion should be legal in all or most cases (pro-choice).  31% of US adults think abortion should be illegal in all or most cases (pro-life).  The remaining 8 percent fall somewhere in the middle or declined to provide an opinion.

The history of abortion in the U.S.

• Before 1973: abortion was illegal in most states, but not all
  • For example, in California, abortion was illegal from 1900 to 1962. In 1962, California law began allowing abortions in special circumstances. In 1967, California legalized abortion, but placed various restrictions on when and why the procedure could be performed.
• The map below shows the United States as of the early 1970s.  Dark red states had repealed their antiabortion laws.  Pink states, like California, had reformed their antiabortion laws to allow abortions in some cases.  In gray states, abortion was illegal.

Roe v. Wade (1973 to 2022)

In 1973, the US Supreme Court decided that states CANNOT make all abortion illegal. 

This decision, called Roe v. Wade, stated that pregnant people have a right to privacy. It argued that getting an abortion is a private medical decision between a pregnant person and their medical provider.

This meant that abortion was LEGAL in all 50 US states until 2022.

Check out the first 4 minutes of this video for an explanation of the case:

2022: Roe v. Wade OVERTURNED in Dobbs v. Jackson decision

In 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned (cancelled out) their previous decision in Roe v. Wade.  This new decision is called Dobbs v. Jackson and is now the current law of the US.

Now, each individual state gets to make its own laws about abortion.

Consider: Could states that ban abortion also decide to ban Plan B? Birth control? Other forms of contraception? Other rights to privacy?

Abortion laws now vary dramatically to state by state.  In California, for example, abortion is legal until 22 weeks of pregnancy. After that, it is allowed in special circumstances (such as when the baby is diagnosed with a terminal medical condition; this is known as Termination for Medical Reasons).

Some other states, however, have much stricter laws against abortion, and some states have completely banned abortion. This prevents many people from accessing abortions at all if they are unable to travel to a state that allows abortions.

For the most up-to-date, interactive map: US Abortion Policies and Access After Roe

Abortion in the US today

In the information provided in this box, "abortion" refers to surgical abortions performed in a healthcare provider's office and as well as medication abortions when the patient takes a prescribed medication at home (first trimester only). As of 2023, 65% of US abortions were medication-based, not surgical.

How are abortions accessed?

The number of clinics where patients can access in-person abortion services has declined by 7% since 2020: as of 2025, there were 753 in-person clinics in the US.

After the Dobbs v. Jackson decision, approximately 60 abortion clinics closed down in the 13 states with total abortion bans (no abortion allowed at any time in pregnancy).

In 2025, 24% of abortions were through online-only clinics that can prescribe abortion medication virtually, including to patients living in states with total abortion bans.

In 2025, approximately 142,000 people crossed state lines to access abortion care. This made up 13% of all abortion patients.

When are abortions accessed?

Who accesses abortion services?

Approximately 1 in 4 women will have an abortion by age 45

Two-thirds of patients were in their 20s

Black, Latinx, and White people access services at about the same rates

55% of patients had previously had at lest one birth

More than 16% of patients identified as non-heterosexual (bisexual, pansexual, lesbian, or something else)

41% of patients had income below the federal poverty line

How much does it cost?

Abortion services can cost hundreds of dollars for medication abortions ($600-800) or thousands of dollars for surgical abortions ($715-2,000+). This does not include the cost of travel, time off of work, or childcare if needed.

Most people getting abortion care have medical insurance (including Medicaid), but insurance does not always cover abortion services.

53% of patients paid out of pocket for their abortions (no help from insurance) in 2021-2022

Sources: Guttmacher, Links to an external site.Planned ParenthoodLinks to an external site.

Links to an external site.