New Mexico has not released a vital statistics report since September 2021, when a report covering 2019 data was published. However, New Mexico shared some abortion data with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for inclusion in its 2022 abortion surveillance report. This data does not include the number of abortions drugs prescribed by licensed abortion providers in other states to New Mexico residents or the number of self-managed abortions performed by women outside of the healthcare system. In a separate section, CLI will describe data provided by the Guttmacher Institute’s Monthly Abortion Provision Study that details the number of women who traveled to New Mexico to obtain abortions and their states of residence, as well as the number of abortions obtained by New Mexico women in other states. Guttmacher’s abortion estimates include the number of abortions obtained at brick-and-mortar facilities and those provided via telehealth and virtual providers in the United States.
Statistics and Changes in New Mexico Abortions, 2021-2022
The report does not include Planned Parenthood’s New Mexico abortion market share.
Abortion Totals and Trends
According to the CDC, 11,735 abortions were performed in New Mexico in 2022, an increase of 140% from 2021. Drug-induced abortions increased by 153% from 2021 to 2022 (Fig. 1). Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI) estimates that the state’s abortion rate was 28.8 abortions per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44, an increase of 139% from 2021 (Fig. 2).1
New Mexico is one of only two other states (Kansas and Oklahoma) and D.C., out of 48 total reporting areas, where the majority of abortions performed in the state were on nonresidents (62%). In 2022, 34% of New Mexico abortions were performed on residents and 3% were performed on women whose residence status was unknown. New Mexico does not report the states of residence to the CDC for the nonresidents who obtain abortions in New Mexico. The number of nonresident abortions performed in New Mexico increased by 271% from 2021 to 2022. A potential reason for the astronomical increase in the number of nonresident abortions is that New Mexico has no gestational limits on abortion but is surrounded by states that were able to limit abortion, post-Dobbs, at certain gestational ages (Arizona after 15 weeks of gestation and Utah through 17 weeks of gestation) and states that prohibit abortion except in cases where it is necessary to save the mother’s life or physical health (Texas and Oklahoma). Texas women have been traveling to New Mexico to obtain abortions since 2021 when Texas’ heartbeat law went into effect.
A total of 4,176 New Mexico residents obtained abortions in 2022, and while 4,007 of those abortions were obtained in New Mexico, 169 were obtained out of state. The CDC reported that 145 of those out of state abortions were obtained in Colorado by New Mexico residents and 24 were obtained in unknown states.
CDC State Data Summary
Eleven percent of New Mexico abortions were performed on girls ages 19 or younger, with less than 1% being performed on girls under the age of 15 and 11% on girls ages 15 to 19. Thirty percent of the abortions were obtained by women in their early twenties, and 26% by women in their later twenties. Twenty-eight percent of the abortions were performed on women in their thirties, and 3% on women in their forties or older. The age of the mother was unknown for 2% of New Mexico abortions in 2022.
Unlike previous years, New Mexico did not report race or ethnicity data to the CDC for its 2022 annual abortion surveillance report. However, as in previous years, New Mexico also did not report the number of abortions performed in New Mexico by marital status to the CDC for abortions performed in 2022. Forty-one percent of abortions in New Mexico were performed on women with zero previous live births, 20% on women with one prior live birth, and 31% on women with two or more prior live births. The number of prior live births was unknown for 8% of the women who obtained abortions in New Mexico. Eighteen percent of women who obtained abortions in New Mexico had zero prior abortions, and 56% had one prior abortion. Twenty-three percent of women had two or more prior abortions. The number of previous abortions was not known for 3% of the women. New Mexico is the only state of the 41 that reported 2022 abortion data to the CDC where more abortions were performed on women with one prior abortion than zero prior abortions.
Thirty-eight percent of New Mexico abortions occurred at six weeks of gestation or earlier, 27% between seven and nine weeks, and 13% between 10 and 13 weeks. Three percent each were performed between 14 and 15 weeks, 16 and 17 weeks, and 18 to 20 weeks. Four percent (434 abortions) occurred at 21 weeks of gestation or later, the fifth highest total of the 41 reporting areas that report such data. New Mexico’s 21 week and later gestational age total was only behind New York City (1,054), Florida (549), Washington (525), and Colorado (488).
While the percentage compositions of abortions at the different gestational periods did not change significantly for New Mexico in 2021 and 2022, the number of abortions performed during each gestational period increased in every increment. For the breakdown of abortions by gestational ages in New Mexico between 2021 and 2022, see the following table:
| # of ab. 2022 | % of ab. 2022 | # of ab. 2021 | % of ab. 2021 | % increase from 2021 to 2022 | |
| ≤6 | 4,442 | 38% | 1,823 | 37% | 144% |
| 7-9 | 3,176 | 27% | 1,253 | 26% | 153% |
| 10-13 | 1,526 | 13% | 605 | 12% | 152% |
| 14-15 | 372 | 3% | 162 | 3% | 130% |
| 16-17 | 337 | 3% | 122 | 2% | 176% |
| 18-20 | 322 | 3% | 183 | 4% | 76% |
| ≥21 | 434 | 4% | 390 | 8% | 11% |
| Unknown | 1,126 | 10% | 353 | 7% |
2023 Guttmacher Data2
In 2023, Guttmacher estimated that 20,920 abortions occurred in New Mexico. Also in 2023, an estimated 490 New Mexico residents traveled to Colorado to obtain abortions. Guttmacher further estimated that 14,740 of the 20,920 abortions performed in the state in 2023 were performed on nonresidents. To see the number of abortions obtained in New Mexico by women from various states, see the following table:
| States of Residence for Women Who Traveled to New Mexico | # of Abortions Obtained by non-Resident Women in New Mexico, 2023 |
| Texas | 14,320 |
| Arizona | 260 |
| Oklahoma | 160 |
| Total | 14,740 |
Breakdown of Abortion Providers in New Mexico3
| # of brick-and-mortar locations | 13 |
| # of independent centers | 8 |
| # of Planned Parenthood centers | 4 |
| # of hospitals/doctors’ offices that perform abortions | 1 |
| # of abortion drug providers | 12 |
| # of abortion drug-only providers | 6 |
| # of surgical and abortion drug providers | 7 |
| # of online mail-order abortion drug companies licensed in the state | 14 |
| # of brick-and-mortar locations that also mail abortion drugs | 3 |
| Latest gestational age that a center performs surgical abortion | Through 32 weeks |
State Ranking
In 2024, CLI published a paper reevaluating abortion reporting across the country, with New Mexico ranked at 42nd place. To further improve its reporting, New Mexico could start reporting demographic data related to race, ethnicity, and marital status and report abortions in a timelier manner that is more accessible to the public. New Mexico cold also report the reasons abortions were performed, particularly for late-term abortions, given the large percentage of New Mexico abortions that are late term.
- National rates were calculated by the Guttmacher Institute. New Mexico rates were calculated by CLI using the following formula: (total number of abortions performed in New Mexico ÷ number of resident women ages 15-44 [based on most recent population estimates]) x 1,000. Rates may differ slightly from previous CLI articles due to revised population estimates. Population estimates were obtained from the CDC WONDER database. Estimates for 2005-2009 are intercensal estimates of the July 1 resident population. Estimates for 2010-2019 are Vintage 2020 postcensal estimates of the July 1 resident population. Estimates for 2020-2022 are Vintage 2022 postcensal estimates of the July 1 resident population. Estimates were produced by the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics.
- The Guttmacher Institute notes that their monthly abortion totals by states are estimates and that each state’s estimate is within a range of uncertainty. Guttmacher also notes that their estimates do not reflect abortions obtained by women in pro-life states under shield laws in effect in pro-abortion states. These estimates are current as of January 8, 2025.
- Provider totals do not include hospitals or physician offices not listed in databases that compile abortion provider locations in different states, but do include Planned Parenthood locations, independent abortion centers, and hospitals/doctor’s offices included in databases like Abortion Finder and Ineedana. This information is updated as of January 8, 2025.
- Abortion totals are from the CDC’s abortion surveillance reports. New Mexico did not report drug-induced abortion totals to the CDC from 2015 through 2018.
