PORTLAND, Ore. — With the U.S. Supreme Court expected to overturn the Roe v. Wade ruling that protects abortion rights across the country, based on a leaked draft opinion, focus has shifted to abortions at the state level.
So, how many abortions are provided in Oregon each year, how many people seeking abortions are from out of state and how has this changed over time?
The Oregon Health Authority tracks and reports induced abortions performed in Oregon. An induced abortion is an intentional procedure carried out to end a pregnancy, as opposed to a spontaneous abortion or miscarriage.
From 2018 to this 2022, residents in the Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas Counties made up about half of all induced abortions in Oregon, per OHA.
The data for 2021 and 2022 is still preliminary and subject to adjustments.
The number of abortions reported in Oregon in 2020 and 2021 were the lowest of any years that OHA has tracked. Both nationally and in Oregon, the abortion rate has been declining for decades. In the 1990s and early 2000s in Oregon, about 14,000 induced abortions were performed each year. Now, the annual number is less than half of that.
Preliminary data from 2021 shows about 6,577 abortions were carried out last year.
As Oregon is one of few states with no legal restrictions on abortion, people from other states may travel to Oregon for more options and consultations.
Over the last five years, OHA data shows about 9.5% of people getting abortions in Oregon live in another state.
If the Roe v. Wade ruling is overturned, some analysts project demand for abortion and health services in Oregon could increase as other states, such as Idaho, could restrict legal access.
Planned Parenthood is expected to open a clinic on the Oregon-Idaho border in Ontario soon, after lobbying Oregon lawmakers for $15 million in funding. The organization has leased a clinic, but it’s not operating yet.
Additionally, a New York Times analysis of CDC explains who is most likely to get an abortion. They found the most typical patient is a single woman in her late 20s. Six in 10 people who have an abortion are already mothers, and nearly half are low-income women. About 92% of all abortions occur in the first 13 weeks of pregnancy, with a large majority in the first trimester.