National Right to Life on the 2021 Abortion Numbers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its annual “Abortion Surveillance Report” for the year 2021. The numbers showed an increase in abortions from the 2020 survey.
Relying on reports from health departments across the country, the CDC reported 625,978 abortions for 2021 compared to 620,327 abortions for 2020. While it is an indication of abortion trends, this figure does not provide a complete picture of abortion in the United States. California (the nation’s most populous state), Maryland, New
Hampshire, and New Jersey (new to 2021) did not report abortion data to the CDC.
For context, it is important to remember that the numbers released on Wednesday are all from 2021, the year before the U.S. Supreme Court decision in June 2022 that reversed Roe v. Wade.
“During 2021, federal agencies, state, and local governments were just coming out of the pandemic and still concerned about COVID, but these numbers show us that the abortion industry simply plowed ahead promoting their deadly product, destroying more lives of unborn babies every
day,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “Clearly abortion groups care more about the bottom line than the lives and health of unborn babies or their mothers.”
In 2021, in the reporting areas included in the report, the CDC found an
abortion rate of 11.6 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44 years, which is an increase from 2020. The CDC found a ratio of 204 abortions per 1,000 live births, which is an increase from 2020.
“Nevertheless, the pro-life movement is encouraged that abortion numbers have been greatly reduced
from a peak of 1.6 million in 1980 and still remain below one million,” said Tobias.
Tobias continued, “Even with the reversal of Roe v. Wade, this report shows us how
entrenched the abortion industry is in this country. The pro-life movement recognizes that there is still much work to be done to protect innocent unborn babies and their mothers.”
Tragically, based on Wednesday’s report, the number of chemical abortions performed less than or at 9
weeks gestation has risen to 53%, and another 3% occur at greater than 9 weeks gestation for a total of 56%.
“This report continues to show us that the use of the chemical abortion method has clearly been on the rise,” said Randall K. O’Bannon, Ph.D., director of
Education and Research for National Right to Life. “Until women are told the truth about these painful and dangerous abortifacients, those numbers will probably continue to grow, particularly with the FDA's recent relaxation of safety standards of the drug and the media's and industry's incessant sales campaign."
Dr. O’Bannon continued, “Promoters of these pills claim high safety and satisfaction rates, but neglect to mention how painful and bloody these abortions are, and how often women taking these pills end up in emergency rooms hemorrhaging, dealing with infections, and undiagnosed ectopic pregnancy. Unscreened women getting these pills in the mail may find help hard to find when things begin to go wrong. More
women, more babies will surely die.”
Sadly, the CDC also reported six deaths from legal abortion in 2020, the latest year numbers are available.
Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia and more than 3,000 local chapters, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. Recognized as the
flagship of the pro-life movement, National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.
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