Abortion Reporting: Pennsylvania (2023)

Pennsylvania’s 2023 abortion report was published online by the Pennsylvania Department of Health in December 2024. The report shows that abortions increased from the previous year. The data published by the state does not include the total number of abortions obtained by Pennsylvania residents out of state or the number of self-managed abortions on women outside of the healthcare system. It is also unlikely that the report contains the number of mail-order abortion drugs obtained by Pennsylvania residents prescribed by licensed abortion providers in other states. In a separate section, Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI) will describe data provided by the Guttmacher Institute’s Monthly Abortion Provision Study that details the number of women who traveled to Pennsylvania to obtain abortions and their states of residence, as well as the number of abortions obtained by Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania Abortions, 2022-2023

The report does not include information on Planned Parenthood’s Pennsylvania abortion market share.

Abortion Totals and Trends

There were 35,412 abortions reported in Pennsylvania in 2023, the highest total reported in the state since 2011 and an increase of 2% from 2022. Drug-induced abortions increased by 5% to make up 56% of the state total (Fig. 1). CLI estimates that Pennsylvania’s abortion rate rose 2% to 14.5 abortions per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44 from 14.2 in 2022 (Fig. 2).¹ As of January 2025, 28 states have released 2023 abortion statistics with 15 states showing an increase from 2022.

State Report Summary

In 2023, 92% of Pennsylvania abortions were performed on resident women, while 8% were performed on women from other states. The latter included 2% each on women from Delaware and West Virginia, 3% on women from Ohio, and 1% each on women from New Jersey and other states. Fourteen abortions were performed in Pennsylvania on Maryland women and 22 on New York women.

Eight percent of Pennsylvania abortions were performed on young women under the age of 20, with 2% on girls under the age of 18. Twenty-six percent of the abortions were obtained by women ages 20 to 24, and 28% by women ages 25 to 29. Thirty-four percent of the abortions were performed on women in their thirties. Four percent of Pennsylvania abortions were obtained by women ages 40 and above.

Forty-five percent of Pennsylvania abortions were obtained by white women, and 44% by Black or African American women. CLI estimates that Pennsylvania’s Black or African American abortion rate, 44.4 abortions per 1,000 women ages 15-44, was over five times the white abortion rate of 8.4 abortions per 1,000 women. Abortions on Asian or Pacific Islander women accounted for 4% of the total, while another 4% of the abortions were performed on women of multiple races. One percent of the abortions were performed on women of other races and 3% were on women of unknown race. Eighty-seven percent of the abortions were performed on non-Hispanic women and 13% on Hispanic women.

Eighty-eight percent of Pennsylvania abortions were obtained by unmarried women, compared to 12% by married women. Less than one percent were performed on women of unknown marital status. Thirty-eight percent of the abortions were performed on women with no previous live births, and 52% were performed on women with no prior abortions. Twenty-five percent of Pennsylvania abortions were obtained by women with one prior live birth, and 37% were performed on women with two or more live births. Twenty-four percent of the abortions were performed on women with one prior abortion, and another 24% were performed on women with more than one prior abortion.

Fifty-six percent of the abortions reported in 2023 were drug-induced. Thirty-eight percent of the abortions were performed via suction curettage, and 5% were dilation and evacuation procedures. There were 12 abortions performed using sharp curettage. Additionally, there were five abortions each performed via intra-uterine instillation and hysterectomy/hysterotomy. There were two abortions performed using some other means.

Sixty-seven percent of the abortions occurred at eight weeks of gestation or earlier. Sixteen percent were reported between nine and 10 weeks of gestation, and 6% were performed between 11 and 12 weeks. Four percent of abortions occurred between 13 and 14 weeks and another 4% between 15 and 17 weeks, and 2% occurred from 18 to 20 weeks of gestation. There were 560 abortions (1.6% of the total) performed between 21 and 23 weeks of gestation; no abortions were reported at 24 weeks or later. Pennsylvania limits abortion at 24 weeks of gestation. Compared to 2022, there was a 7% increase in the number of abortions performed at 8 weeks of gestation or earlier and a 10% increase in the number of abortions performed between 21 and 23 weeks. On the other hand, there was an 8% decrease in the number of abortions performed between 9- and 20-weeks of gestation. One plausible explanation for the increase in the number of abortions performed at eight weeks of gestation or earlier could be the increase in drug-induced abortions performed in the state which are often performed at early gestational ages.

Abortion Complications

There were nine abortion complications reported at the time of the procedure, down from 11 in 2022, and 167 pregnancies complicated by pre-existing medical conditions. The report does not indicate what these preexisting conditions were, but Pennsylvania law lists as possible examples hydatid mole, endocervical polyp, malignancies, radiation exposure, genetic indications, psychological indications, rape, incest, and rubella disease.

Separately, there were 524 abortion complications reported subsequent to the abortion procedure, an increase of 12% from 2022. Sixty-five percent of these resulted from drug-induced abortions, while 15% were caused by suction curettage procedures and 13% by dilation and evacuation abortions. This is consistent with peer-reviewed research demonstrating higher complication rates for drug-induced versus surgical abortion. Four percent of the complications resulted from sharp curettage procedures despite only 12 being performed in 2023; it is possible some complications were caused by abortions performed the previous year or in other states. Three percent of the complications were caused by other or unknown abortion methods. Seventy-nine percent of the complications were retained products of conception, 15% were bleeding, and 2% were infections. Three percent were some other type of complication.²

Abortions Performed by County of Occurrence and Residence

Abortions were performed in 14 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. Following is a breakdown of the number of abortions occurring in Pennsylvania by county in 2022 versus 2023, as well as the number of brick-and-mortar abortion providers located within the county.³

Abortions by county of residence (the top 5):⁵

• Philadelphia – 10,826 abortions
• Allegheny – 3,374 abortions
• Montgomery – 2,053 abortions
• Delaware – 2,038 abortions
• Berks – 1,192 abortions

Breakdown of Abortion Providers in Pennsylvania⁶

Guttmacher Data⁷

In 2023, Guttmacher estimated that 37,730 abortions occurred in Pennsylvania while the state reported 35,412. Guttmacher estimated that of the 37,730 abortions performed in Pennsylvania, 2,160 were obtained by women who traveled from other states to Pennsylvania to get an abortion. To see the number of abortions obtained in Pennsylvania by women from various states, see the following table:

Lastly, Guttmacher estimated the number of abortions that were obtained by Pennsylvania residents who traveled to other states to obtain an abortion. To see the number of abortions obtained by Pennsylvania residents in various states, see the following table:

State Ranking

In 2024, CLI published a paper reevaluating abortion reporting across the country, with Pennsylvania ranked 14^th place. To improve its reporting, Pennsylvania could report data from the quarterly abortion reports filed by facilities that received public funding per Pennsylvania law. The state could also report the reasons why women obtain abortions as other states do.

1. National rates were calculated by the Guttmacher Institute. Pennsylvania rates were calculated by CLI using the following formula: (total number of abortions performed in Pennsylvania ÷ 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. Rates for 2023 were calculated using the Vintage 2022 postcensal estimates because 2023 population estimates have not yet been released by the CDC.
2. Statistics on abortion complications reported here represent a minimal number of deaths and complications, as this data is collected in a non-systematic and non-verifiable way. As such, this data cannot be used to calculate either an accurate abortion mortality rate or an accurate abortion complication rate for the state.
3. The number of providers is included in this section not to imply that the abortions occurring in the mentioned counties definitely were performed by the providers in the county (as the report doesn’t include that confirmation), but rather to give the reader some context about abortion access in the counties, generally. 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.
4. This information is up to date as of February 7, 2025.
5. Abortions obtained by residents of the mentioned counties did not necessarily obtain the abortion in their county of residence.
6. Center 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 up to date as of February 7, 2025.
7. 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. Furthermore, only counts of over 100 are included in Guttmacher’s estimates related to women who travel to other states to get abortions. This is partially why the residence data reported by the state is often slightly different than the totals reported by Guttmacher. Lastly, Guttmacher notes that their estimates do not reflect abortions obtained by women in pro-life states under shield laws in effect in pro-abortion states.
8. The annual totals of drug-induced abortions performed in Pennsylvania in 2005, 2006, and 2007 were taken from abortion surveillance reports published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention because they were not reported by the state for these years.

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