Self-managed abortions increased by about 26,000 after Dobbs decision, study shows

Access to the abortion drug mifepristone could soon be limited by the Supreme Court for the whole country. Here, a nurse practitioner works at an Illinois clinic that offers telehealth abortion.

Jeff Roberson / Jeff Roberson

Self-managed abortions rose by more than 26,000 in the six months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade nearly two years ago, according to a peer-reviewed study published Monday in JAMA, the American Medical Association’s journal.

Researchers determined that an increase of approximately 27,838 online orders of abortion pills between July and December 2022 corresponded to the findings of an additional 26,055 medication abortions reported outside the formal health care system, the study found.

The Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling in June 2022 overturned the federal right to abortion, returning the decision to the states and leading to 14 near-total abortion bans.