As more states pass abortion restrictions, confusion over terms shows up in hospitals and courtrooms. Camila Galvez holds a sign during a march for abortion rights in Los Angeles in April 2023. APU GOMES/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
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New state abortion numbers show increases in some surprising places
Reproductive Health Services is shown in Montgomery, Ala., in 2014. At the time, it was the only abortion clinic in the state capital. Brynn Anderson/AP hide caption
Volunteer clinic escorts shield a patient from anti-abortion activists outside the Hope Clinic for Women in Granite City, Illinois, last month. Clinics in states like Illinois, which has less restrictive laws, have been reporting an influx of patients from neighboring states. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
New data from the Guttmacher Institute shows the number of U.S. abortions rose in 2020, reversing a decades-long trend toward declining numbers. Pictured here is a Planned Parenthood center in 2018 in Chicago, Illinois — a state whose increase in abortion was partly due to patients crossing the border from Missouri, which has more abortion restrictions. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption
Abortion rights demonstrators gather near the Washington Monument during a nationwide rally in support of abortion rights in Washington, D.C., US, on May 14, 2022. Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images hide caption
Why Abortion Access Is Important For A Healthy Community
A network of reproductive rights advocates is working to share information about self-induced abortion, both in person and over the Internet. Karina Perez for NPR hide caption
With Abortion Restrictions On The Rise, Some Women Induce Their Own
In the U.S., the average age for initiating sexual activity has remained around 17 or 18 since the early 1990s, even as people have begun marrying later in life. PhotoAlto/Frederic Cirou/Getty Images hide caption
The U.S. abortion rate is at the lowest recorded point since the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. Katie Park/NPR hide caption
U.S. Abortion Rate Falls To Lowest Level Since Roe v. Wade
Opponents of a state abortion bill circle its supporters in Austin, Texas, in early July. Eric Gay/AP hide caption
Virginia Senate Republican Leader Thomas Norment, of James City, (left), and State Sen. Stephen Newman, of Lynchburg, listen to a Feb. debate on a bill requiring an ultrasound before an abortion. The bill was later amended to remove a requirement for transvaginal ultrasound. Steve Helber/AP hide caption