The Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade has triggered a decline in abortions nationwide.
The Society of Family Planning released a report this week indicating the number of abortions has dropped since last June: "Since the Dobbs decision, compared to the average monthly number of abortions observed in the pre-Dobbs period, there were 32,260 cumulative fewer abortions from July to December. In the six months following the Dobbs decision, an average of 5,377 fewer abortions have been provided in the US each month."
This is undoubtedly a win for anyone in the pro-life community. It flies directly in the face of those who might contend that the electoral effects of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization somehow mean it's not worth it. There are many positives to the ruling.
It's just as important for the pro-life community to understand the win at the Supreme Court and reduction in the overall number of in-person abortions does not mean the desire or so-called need for abortion has diminished in any way. The same report also shows telehealth abortions have increased:
"...while the overall number of abortions decreased, abortions provided by virtual clinic telehealth providers increased from 3,610 in April 2022 (4% of all abortions), before the decision, to 8,540 in December (11% of all abortions). This change represents an increase of 137% in the number of abortions provided from virtual-only services, comparing April and December 2022. Telehealth abortions provided by virtual clinics have increased every month since April 2022 and by December, represent 9% of all abortions across the post-Dobbs 6 months, indicating that a greater percentage of US abortions are taking place by way of virtual-only clinics than before the Dobbs decision."
The rise in telehealth abortions is seen in the fight over mifepristone . The two drugs used for medication abortions are mifepristone and misoprostol. According to Planned Parenthood, they are used in combination with one another to induce an abortion up to 77 days after the start of a woman's last period. Abortion proponents would like to pass off medication abortion as no big deal. The fact remains: Abortion is a death sentence for an unborn life, whether it's performed by tools or with prescription drugs.
The abortion landscape in America has changed. The COVID-19 pandemic increased telehealth visits for a wide range of issues. Abortion was included in that category since it's seen as just another aspect of women's health. But pregnancy was and is neither a parasite nor a disease. Pregnancy is natural. Abortion, whether medication or in person, is an unnatural, targeted killing.
Discussions around abortion have also changed. For decades, the pro-choice crowd was loud, angry, and in power due to the existence of Roe and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Now, they're loud, angry, and seemingly out of power after Dobbs. In-person abortions, seen as the "dramatic" kind, are declining. Medication abortions, which, according to Planned Parenthood, are "like having a really heavy, crampy period," are on the rise. This talk only sanitizes what is quite literally the death of a unique human life. Pro-life proponents should be as quick to condemn and counter medication abortions as they are surgical abortions, which destroy a human life.
The good brought about by Dobbs also brings with it negative aspects of an abortion business that is only too willing to transform with the times. This was always going to be the case. Pro-life advocates must educate themselves, manage expectations, and be prepared to transform as well.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINERKimberly Ross ( @SouthernKeeks ) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner's Beltway Confidential blog and a columnist at Arc Digital.