Full Breakdown
Mail-Order Abortion Pills and Telehealth Drive Rise in U.S. Abortions in 2025
6/30/2026, 10:38:51 PM
Core Findings: 2025 Abortion Volume and Telehealth Share
The Society of Family Planning’s #WeCount project reported 1,126,760 abortions in 2025, with the monthly average rising from 77,560 in 2022 to 93,900 in 2025. Telehealth delivered 29 % of abortions, and shield-law arrangements accounted for about 14,870 abortions per month.
Legal Landscape: Dobbs Decision, FDA REMS Change, and Shield Laws
The 2022 Dobbs decision removed federal constitutional protection for abortion, enabling states to enact total bans. In 2023 the FDA relaxed the REMS for mifepristone, allowing mail-order dispensing. Pro-abortion states subsequently enacted shield laws protecting providers who prescribe or ship abortion medication to patients in ban states.
Quantitative Overview: Monthly Trends and State Variations
Monthly abortions rose from 77,560 in 2022 to 93,900 in 2025, with 85,780 in 2023 and 92,400 in 2024. Telehealth abortions grew from 5 % in April 2022 to 29 % in December 2025. In total-ban states, telehealth supplied 97-100 % of abortions; in non-ban states, the share ranged from 10 % in New York to 44 % in Nevada. Shield-law abortions made up 54 % of telehealth abortions, about 14,870 per month.
Institutional Responses: SFP #WeCount Methodology and Guttmacher Estimates
SFP describes #WeCount as a systematic collection of abortions performed within the formal health system by licensed clinicians. The Guttmacher Institute’s March 2026 report estimated 1,126,000 abortions for 2025 and noted its figures likely undercount actual provision. The FDA has not revoked prescriber authorizations, and six states have filed lawsuits challenging the 2023 REMS revision.
Opposition Perspectives: Concerns Over Legal Erosion and Coercion
Dr. Michael New, writing for *National Review*, argued that telehealth abortions undermine state-level pro-life statutes enacted after Dobbs. Advocacy commentator Carrie N. Baker warned that reported figures likely represent only a fraction of total abortions, as many providers and self-managed cases remain unreported. Critics also cite mail-order delivery as a potential vector for coercive medication use.
Data Discrepancies and Reporting Gaps
Guttmacher’s Monthly Abortion Provision Study recorded 91,000 telehealth abortions delivered to ban states in 2025, whereas #WeCount data suggest nearly double that number. The CDC has not released 2023 state-level abortion statistics, limiting external verification. #WeCount explicitly excludes self-managed abortions, creating an additional data gap.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Telehealth abortion grew from 5% of all abortions in April to 2022 to 29% in December 2025,” — #WeCount, Society of Family Planning
- “where abortion is banned, nearly all [over half] abortions were provided via telehealth under shield laws” — #WeCount, Society of Family Planning
- “Since many women residing in states with strong pro-life laws are obtaining abortions via telehealth, these telehealth abortions are undermining many pro-life laws that were passed since the Dobbs decision,” — Dr. Michael New, *National Review*
- “Baker observed: These numbers are likely just the tip of the iceberg—an undercount of abortion within the medical system because not all providers report their numbers, especially telehealth providers serving patients living in states with abortion bans.” — Carrie N. Baker, *Ms Magazine*
Outlook: Litigation and Policy Developments
Pending litigation against the FDA’s 2023 REMS revision and ongoing state legislative actions will shape future reporting and access patterns for telehealth abortions.
