Report: Florida on Track for Fewer Abortions in 2022

There will most likely be fewer abortions in Florida this year than in previous years, according to data from the Agency for Health Care Administration.

Excluding December, there have been 68,217 abortions in Florida in 2022, compared to 79,817 in 2021, and 74,868 in 2020, the Tampa Bay Times first reported on Tuesday. The anticipated decrease correlates with the enactment of the state’s 15-week abortion ban. Before the law went into effect over the summer, the state allowed the abortions of unborn babies for up to 24-weeks.

BREAKING: Florida Abortions See Massive Decline, More Than 11,000 Babies Saved https://t.co/mrIP5ZUeY2

— LifeNews.com (@LifeNewsHQ) December 27, 2022

Laura Goodhue, the executive director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, told the publication she could not understand why Florida has seen fewer abortions this year, noting that half of the 15 of Planned Parenthood’s 15 abortion providers saw the number of abortions double around the time the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. However, she did say many of those people were from out of state. 

Agency for Health Care Administration data confirms that 2022, not including December, saw more out-of-state abortions — 5,439 to be exact. In 2021, that number was 4,873. 

“The good news is the increase in abortions does not equal the drop in abortions in other states — meaning the abortion bans in surrounding states are saving the lives of thousands of babies,” Life News reported of the numbers.

For years, Florida has had one of the highest abortion rates in the country, data from the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute shows. However, an even greater decrease in the near future is not out of the question, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) saying in a recent interview that he would be “ready to sign” a heartbeat bill, should the state legislature successfully pass such a measure and send it to his desk.