A new report from the Pew Research Center is shedding light on just how difficult it is to get an accurate count of abortions performed in the United States — and researchers are upfront about the gaps in their own data.
According to the most recent complete figures available, roughly 613,000 abortions were recorded in 2022. However, Pew acknowledges that number likely falls short of the true total for two key reasons.
First, four states do not report their abortion statistics, leaving a significant hole in the national picture. Second, there is no reliable way to track how many women ended pregnancies using abortion pills obtained through the mail without ever seeing a doctor in person.
Because of these blind spots, researchers believe the actual number of abortions that took place in 2022 is probably greater than what the official data reflects.
