How much abortion increased in Colorado in the year post-Dobbs
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The number of monthly abortions in Colorado increased by an average 29% after the Supreme Court spiked Roe v. Wade, a first-of-its-kind study finds.
Why it matters: The new count from the Denver-based Society of Family Planning is the first to encompass the full year since the SCOTUS ruling.
By the numbers: Colorado averaged 2,120 abortions a month from July 2022 through June 2023, up an average of 480 compared to April and May 2022.
- That's an estimated cumulative increase of 5,760 abortions over the course of the year.
What's happening: Colorado emerged as a safe-haven for its protections on reproductive health care as other states enacted restrictions in the wake of the court's decision in June 2021.
- And providers quickly saw a spike in demand, both for in-person and telehealth services, that left them scrambling.
Of note: The increases in Colorado obscure the significant declines in states that made it harder to receive abortion services, including neighboring Nebraska and Oklahoma, national figures show.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to show Colorado's abortion rates are from July 2022 to June 2023 are compared to April and May 2022, not 2021.