Number of deaths resulting from abortions in the U.S. 1973-2021

The number of abortion-related deaths in the U.S. has decreased dramatically since 1973. In 1973, the number of deaths related to abortions was 47. In 2021, the number of reported deaths related to abortions had decreased to just five. Abortion is the act of ending a pregnancy so that it does not result in the birth of a baby. 

Abortions in the U.S.

Abortions can be performed in a surgical setting or a medical setting (the pill). The number of legal abortions reported in the U.S. has generally declined yearly since 1990. The most frequently performed kind of abortion in the U.S. in 2022 were medical abortions. Abortion and the legality and morality of the procedure has been a publicly debated topic in the United States for many years.

Public opinions on abortion

Opinions on abortion in the United States can be divided into two campaigns. Pro-choice is the belief that women have the right to decide when they want to become pregnant and if they want to terminate the pregnancy through an abortion. Pro-life, is the belief that women should not be able to choose to have an abortion. As of 2023, around 52 percent of the U.S. population was pro-choice, while 44 percent considered themselves pro-life. However, these shares have fluctuated over the past couple decades, with a majority of people saying they were pro-life as recently as 2019.