Stopping telehealth abortions remains an important priority for pro-lifers.
This week, the Guttmacher Institute released new data from its monthly abortion provision survey. The data contains some good news for pro-lifers.
According to Guttmacher, the number of abortions performed in the first six months of 2025 fell by about 5 percent when compared with the same period in 2024. A number of mainstream media outlets have covered this abortion decline, including the Washington Post, CNN, and Time.
According to the Guttmacher analysts, an important reason for the abortion decline is the enactment of Florida’s Heartbeat Act in May 2024, which protects preborn children after six weeks’ gestation. The Heartbeat Act is doubtless stopping many abortions in Florida — a high-population state that previously had an above-average abortion rate. Indeed, birth data from the Sunshine State shows that the Heartbeat Act is saving nearly 300 babies every month. Furthermore, because of the Heartbeat Act, fewer women from other Southern states are obtaining abortions in Florida.
That said, pro-lifers should take these new abortion estimates with a bit of skepticism. While Guttmacher does obtain data about telehealth abortions, that data may be incomplete. That is because Guttmacher collected data only from clinicians providing in-person and online abortion services in states without abortion bans. They did not collect telehealth abortion data in states where strong pro-life laws are in effect, but abortion is not banned.
Overall, stopping telehealth abortions remains an important priority for pro-lifers. Before 2020, women obtaining chemical abortions had to obtain an in-person medical exam. However, in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the FDA allowed women to obtain chemical abortions via telehealth. The Biden administration continued this unwise policy after the conclusion of the pandemic. Currently, the Trump administration has the power to restore the old safeguards and stop telehealth abortions.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently said the FDA would conduct a new review of abortion pills. However, pro-lifers would do well to continue to push for more timely action to protect mothers and preborn children.