Georgia’s Abortion Landscape from 2010-2022: Assessing Trends in Abortion Incidence, Weeks’ Gestation, and Methods
Abstract
Background: Georgia serves as a hub for abortion access in the Southeastern U.S. Abortion access in Georgia has grown increasingly restricted due to state policies regulating abortion care, most notably a ban on abortion in early pregnancy (HB481). The current study aims to describe trends in abortion incidence in Georgia from 2010-2022, examine trends in weeks’ gestation and abortion method, and identify variation in incidence post-HB481 implementation.
Methods: We analyzed annual and monthly abortion surveillance data, stratified by weeks’ gestation and method, from the 2010-2022 Georgia Department of Public Health Induced Termination of Pregnancy files. We used linear regression to describe trends in abortions overall and by weeks’ gestation and method. We used X2 analyses to describe changes in abortion incidence overall, by weeks’ gestation, and by method before and after HB481 implementation.
Results: From January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2022, there were 452,238 abortions in Georgia. Annual numbers fluctuated between 30,000 and 43,000 over the study period, steadily increasing from 32,234 in 2017 to 43,406 in 2022. Analyses revealed seasonality in monthly counts, with the most abortions reported in February and March and the fewest reported in November. Abortions by weeks’ gestation and abortion method shifted substantially over time. In 2010, 7.3% of abortions occurred <6 weeks; in 2022, 35.3% of abortions occurred <6 weeks. In 2010, dilation and curettage (D&C) accounted for 80.2% of abortions and medication abortions accounted for 7.3%; in 2022, medication abortions accounted for 62.4% of abortions and D&C accounted for 19.8%. Lastly, abortions decreased by 35% immediately following HB481 implementation.
Conclusion: Findings suggest that, over the last decade in Georgia, abortions have increased, abortions are increasingly being provided earlier in pregnancy, and people have increasingly sought medication rather than procedural abortions. HB481 has severely shifted Georgia’s abortion landscape, affecting an important service delivery hub in the Southeast.
Keywords
abortion, health policy, reproductive health, U.S. Southeast, epidemiology
Georgia’s Abortion Landscape from 2010-2022: Assessing Trends in Abortion Incidence, Weeks’ Gestation, and Methods
Background: Georgia serves as a hub for abortion access in the Southeastern U.S. Abortion access in Georgia has grown increasingly restricted due to state policies regulating abortion care, most notably a ban on abortion in early pregnancy (HB481). The current study aims to describe trends in abortion incidence in Georgia from 2010-2022, examine trends in weeks’ gestation and abortion method, and identify variation in incidence post-HB481 implementation.
Methods: We analyzed annual and monthly abortion surveillance data, stratified by weeks’ gestation and method, from the 2010-2022 Georgia Department of Public Health Induced Termination of Pregnancy files. We used linear regression to describe trends in abortions overall and by weeks’ gestation and method. We used X2 analyses to describe changes in abortion incidence overall, by weeks’ gestation, and by method before and after HB481 implementation.
Results: From January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2022, there were 452,238 abortions in Georgia. Annual numbers fluctuated between 30,000 and 43,000 over the study period, steadily increasing from 32,234 in 2017 to 43,406 in 2022. Analyses revealed seasonality in monthly counts, with the most abortions reported in February and March and the fewest reported in November. Abortions by weeks’ gestation and abortion method shifted substantially over time. In 2010, 7.3% of abortions occurred <6 >weeks; in 2022, 35.3% of abortions occurred <6 weeks. In>2010, dilation and curettage (D&C) accounted for 80.2% of abortions and medication abortions accounted for 7.3%; in 2022, medication abortions accounted for 62.4% of abortions and D&C accounted for 19.8%. Lastly, abortions decreased by 35% immediately following HB481 implementation.
Conclusion: Findings suggest that, over the last decade in Georgia, abortions have increased, abortions are increasingly being provided earlier in pregnancy, and people have increasingly sought medication rather than procedural abortions. HB481 has severely shifted Georgia’s abortion landscape, affecting an important service delivery hub in the Southeast.
