Ohio abortion report shows importance of access
Press Release | September 30, 2022
Columbus — There were 21,813 abortions in Ohio in 2021, according to the annual Induced Abortions in Ohio Report from the Ohio Department of Health. This is a 7% increase over the previous year.
Pro-Choice Ohio Deputy Director Jaime Miracle said: “Each year when this report comes out, there is a lot of focus on the numbers, this number went up, this number went down. What the last few months has really brought into focus is that each of these numbers is a person, a person who needed abortion care and was able to get the care they needed. For several months in 2022, Ohioans didn’t have that option. They had to travel hundreds of miles, wait weeks for appointments, and incur additional expenses, all because Governor Mike DeWine and Attorney General Dave Yost blocked their access to abortion care.”
Miracle continued, “We know that all kinds of people need abortions for all kinds of reasons. Getting access to abortion means that they can take care of the kids they already have, continue their education, and get access to life saving medical treatment. These are the people behind the numbers, and these are the people who Mike DeWine doesn’t want to answer to on a debate stage. Ohioans need leaders who will protect their access to abortion care, not sign bill after bill blocking it. We know that Nan Whaley and Cheryl Stephens will make sure that people who need abortion care can get it, in their community, without judgement, stigma, or delay.”
The Annual Induced Abortions in Ohio Reports is published from the Ohio Department of Health each Autumn, providing data from medical professionals who provide abortion services. https://odh.ohio.gov/explore-data-and-stats/published-reports/data-and-stats-abortion-reports
There are currently nine clinics offering medication abortion services in Ohio. Six of them also offer in-clinic procedures. All of them are providing patients with care permitted by the temporary restraining order extended by Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas this week. Ohio providers are also handling a new increase in patients from West Virginia and Kentucky as those states have banned abortion, although that 2022 trend will not be seen in the 2021 data. Find the full list of clinics on our website.