Abortions in Iowa climbed 8% in 2022 but stayed on trend with last five years

The number of abortions performed in Iowa increased in 2022 compared to 2021, returning to levels seen in recent years, new state data shows.

There were 4,062 abortions in Iowa in 2022, according to data from the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. That's an 8% increase compared to 2021, when 3,761 abortions were performed in the state.

Over the past five years, Iowa has seen steady increases in the number of pregnancies terminated in the state, apart from two years when abortions decreased. However, recent totals are still below abortion totals from the mid-2000s, when pregnancy terminations numbered more than 6,000 per year.

Annual reports show Iowa reported 4,058 abortions in 2020, and 3,566 abortions in 2019.

Pregnancy terminations did drop from 2017 to 2018, falling to 2,849 from 3,269.

Iowa’s abortion rate also mirrors national trends. Data from the Guttmacher Institute has shown pregnancy terminations across the United States declined over the past several decades, then steadily increased beginning around 2015.

Why are abortions in Iowa increasing?

The new state data for 2022 is from the same year the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion nationwide.

Shortly after those federal protections went away, more than a dozen states enacted bans or strict limits on abortion, and other states, like Iowa, sought to but were blocked in court.

As a result, providers in states where abortions remain legal have seen more patients traveling from out of state for services. Kristi Judkins, executive director of the anti-abortion group Iowa Right to Life, pointed to reports from an anti-abortion advocacy group that estimate 16% of abortions performed in Iowa in 2021 were for residents of other states. That proportion rose to 19% in 2022, the Charlotte Lozier Institute reported.

Across its five-state territory, including Iowa, Planned Parenthood North Central States has seen an increase in out-of-state residents who seek abortion care in its affiliate states without abortion bans, said Ruth Richardson, the group's CEO.

“The reality with the overturning of Roe v. Wade is that we are seeing people travel more to get access to abortion care,” Richardson said. “Abortion bans don’t ban abortion for everyone, they just ban abortion for people who don’t have the means and opportunity to travel. We’re just in this landscape where people are being forced to travel across state lines in order to get their care.”

Judkins pointed to the availability of medication abortions and to recent efforts by pro-abortion advocates as a driver for the increase in 2022. However, she also argued that the state data may not accurately reflect the number of medication abortions Iowans receive, given that options for individuals to purchase abortion pills online have increased.

"I think the data can be overwhelming, useful, and not always reflect the true picture," she said. "I need to know what the reports say, but my primary focus is being able to express a loving and compassionate perspective, and continue to advocate for women and saving babies."

Judkins argued abortions in Iowa are not consistently increasing, but instead have "an ebb and flow."

Richardson said the increases in abortions over the past five years can directly be attributed to Iowa lawmakers’ decision in 2017 to withdraw from a federal family planning program for which Planned Parenthood was the major provider. Instead, the state established its own family planning program that barred Planned Parenthood from participation.

Since its 2017 creation, the state-run program has served 83% fewer Iowans and has paid for fewer family planning services, like birth control.

“It's not surprising to see the increase in abortion. It’s actually a predictable outcome because when you cut off access or create barriers to access to affordable and essential sexual and reproductive health care, including things like birth control, you're going to see results like this," Richardson said.

Abortion remains legal, but restrictions may be imminent

Abortion is currently legal in Iowa up to about 20 weeks of pregnancy.

The Iowa Supreme Court is poised to hear arguments over a law passed in a Republican-led special legislative session earlier this year that would ban most abortions in the sixth week of pregnancy. The so-called "fetal heartbeat law" would outlaw abortion once cardiac activity is detected in the embryo, with limited exceptions for cases of rape, incest, fatal fetal abnormalities and cases of medical emergency.

Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the law in July. However, a Polk County judge issued a temporary injunction on enforcement of the law after abortion providers and other advocates sued to block it.

A March Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll found a majority of Iowans ― 61% ― believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Thirty-five percent believe the procedure should be illegal in most or all cases.

Michaela Ramm covers health care for the Des Moines Register. She can be reached at mramm@registermedia.com, at (319) 339-7354 or on Twitter at @Michaela_Ramm

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa abortions increased the same year Roe v. Wade was overturned