South Carolina’s 2025 abortion report was released on June 30, 2026, revealing that reported abortions in the state decreased significantly.
The data published by the state does not include the total number of abortions obtained by South Carolina residents out of state or the number of self-managed abortions on women outside of the healthcare system. The report also does not contain the number of mail-order abortions obtained by South Carolina residents prescribed by licensed abortion providers in other states. In a separate section, CLI will describe data provided by both the Guttmacher Institute’s Monthly Abortion Provision Study (MAPS) and the Society of Family Planning’s (SFP) #WeCount project detailing the number of mail-order abortions obtained by Indiana residents from out of state prescribers. In the past, the MAPS published estimates on the annual number of a state’s residents who traveled out of state to obtain an abortion. However, the 2025 estimates on out-of-state travel totals have not been released. 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.
South Carolina’s law defines abortion as:
[T]he act of using or prescribing any instrument, medicine, drug, or any other substance, device, or means with the intent to terminate the clinically diagnosable pregnancy of a woman with knowledge that the termination by those means will, with reasonable likelihood, cause the death of the unborn child. Such use, prescription, or means is not an abortion if done with the intent to save the life or preserve the health of the unborn child, or to remove a dead unborn child (§44-41-610).
In South Carolina, abortion is prohibited after an unborn child’s heartbeat is detected (often around six weeks of gestation) (§44-41-630-640, 660, 680). The exceptions to this law include medical emergencies that threaten the life or physical health of the mother, fatal fetal anomalies, and cases of rape and incest (up to 12 weeks of gestation).
Abortion Totals and Trends
In 2025, there were 2,534 abortions reported in South Carolina, down 16% from the previous year. Drug-induced abortions, which made up 82% of reported abortions, decreased by 19% from 2,552 in 2024 to 2,073 in 2025 (Fig. 1). CLI estimates that South Carolina’s abortion rate was 2.4 abortions per 1,000 women of childbearing age, a decrease of 16% from the previous year (Fig. 2).1 As of July 2026, 11 states have released 2025 abortion statistics, four of which showed that abortions decreased from 2024.
State Report Summary
Ninety-four percent of abortions occurring in South Carolina were performed on South Carolina residents, while 6% were performed on out-of-state women. The number of abortions performed on non-residents in South Carolina decreased by 43% from 2024 to 2025. January had the highest monthly abortion total (234) and February and August were tied for the lowest (182).
Six abortions were performed on girls under the age of 15 while 18 were performed on girls ages15 and 16. Eight percent of South Carolina abortions were obtained by girls ages 17 to 19, while 51% were performed on women in their twenties. Twenty-two percent were obtained by women ages 30 to 34, and 18% by women ages 35 and older.
Eighty-two percent of South Carolina abortions were drug-induced. Nine percent were performed using dilation and curettage procedures, an increase of 47% from 2024. Five percent were performed using manual vacuum aspiration procedures, while 3% were performed using electrical vacuum aspiration procedures and 1% were dilation and evacuation abortions. The number of abortions performed by combined induction and dilation and evacuation procedures, induction with prostaglandin procedures, other induction procedures, hysterectomy/hysterotomy procedures, and other unknown procedures was individually suppressed because the values were less than five abortions but added up to a total of 75 abortions.
No abortions used intra-fetal injections to kill the baby.
Ninety-eight percent of abortions reported in the state were performed at six weeks of gestation or less. Twenty-five abortions were performed between seven and 13 weeks, while 16 abortions were performed between 14 and 19 weeks. Ten abortions occurred between 20 and 23 weeks of gestation. The number of abortions increased at every week of gestation except those occurring between 20 and 23 weeks of gestation from 2024 to 2025. A heartbeat was not detected for 98% of the abortions reported in the state, while 2% (42 abortions) were performed after a fetal heartbeat was detected. Of the 42 abortions performed after a fetal heartbeat was detected, 15 were performed between seven and 13 weeks of gestation, 16 between 14 and 19 weeks, and 11 were performed at gestational ages that were suppressed. Of the 2,492 abortions performed before a heartbeat was detected, all but 10 abortions were performed at six weeks or less.
For the abortions performed at 12 weeks or less and after a heartbeat was detected, eight were performed because of a medical emergency, while the numbers performed because of a fatal fetal anomaly or in the cases of rape and incest were suppressed. The total for the rape and incest categories, however, added up to seven abortions. For the 29 abortions performed after 12 weeks, nine were performed because of a medical emergency and 20 because of fatal fetal anomalies.
In the 17 cases where abortion was performed due to a medical emergency, eight of the abortion procedures utilized a method that provided the best opportunity for the unborn child to survive, while nine did not. In the nine cases where the method did not provide the best opportunity for the unborn child to survive, providers specified the basis for utilizing such a procedure in all nine cases.
Abortion Centers in South Carolina
Planned Parenthood performed 52% of South Carolina’s abortions in 2025, while they performed 46% of South Carolina’s abortions in 2024. Planned Parenthood’s Columbia location performed 28% of South Carolina’s abortions and Planned Parenthood’s Charleston location performed 24%. Forty-six percent of the abortions reported by the state were performed by the state’s sole independent abortion center, Greeneville Women’s Clinic. Fifty-five abortions were performed by hospitals and independent doctors’ offices.
Guttmacher Data2
Guttmacher estimated that in 2025, 8,170 abortions occurred in South Carolina, versus the state’s reported total of 2,534. To see the differences in Guttmacher’s South Carolina estimates and the state’s reported totals, see below:
A possible explanation of the discrepancy between the state’s reported total of abortions occurring in the state and Guttmacher’s estimate is that South Carolina did not capture the number of abortions that resulted from abortion drugs mailed into the state, which Guttmacher’s estimate does. Under state law, telehealth abortions (abortion drugs being sent through the mail within or from outside of the state) are illegal (§40-47-37 [C][6]). However, Guttmacher tracks the number of abortion drugs sent into South Carolina from states where abortionists are legally exempted under their state’s shield law and includes these abortions in its total estimate. This means that abortionists in states with such laws can ship abortion drugs into pro-life states. If one looks at data provided by the Society of Family Planning’s #WeCount project, 2,610 in-person abortions were performed in South Carolina in 2025. This figure is very similar to the number reported by the state. However, #WeCount also reports that 6,040 abortion drug regimens were mailed into South Carolina from abortionists in states with shield laws, meaning that they estimated a total of 8,650 abortions occurred in the state in 2025.3 The discrepancy between the state’s reported total and Guttmacher’s (5,636) as well as the discrepancy between the state’s reported total and #WeCount’s (6,116) can almost be exclusively explained by Guttmacher’s and #WeCount’s inclusion of abortion drugs mailed into the state in their estimates, and the state’s lack of doing so.
State Ranking
In 2024, CLI reanalyzed abortion reporting across the 50 states, New York City, and the District of Columbia, and South Carolina was tied for 23rd best. To strengthen its reporting, South Carolina could report the race, level of education, and marital status of all women undergoing abortions in the state. The state could also collect and report information on complications resulting from abortion.
- National rates were calculated by the Guttmacher Institute. South Carolina rates were calculated by CLI using the following formula: (total number of abortions performed in South Carolina ÷ 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 2020-2025 are Vintage 2024 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 2025 were calculated using the Vintage 2024 postcensal estimates because 2025 population estimates have not yet been released by the CDC.
- The Guttmacher Institute notes that their monthly abortion totals by state are estimates and that each state’s estimate is within a range of uncertainty. Guttmacher’s data can be found in the CSV folder here(Summary_Table_Annual_2023_2024_2025). This information was updated as of July 17, 2026.
- #WeCount’s data can be found hereby downloading the “Report data tables [.xlsx]” document. The #WeCount report specifies that the numbers included in their tables for abortions performed under shield laws only represent the number of women to whom abortion drugs were sent, not the number of drug-induced abortions that resulted from the mailed drugs. However, because #WeCount’s data is the only source of data that delineates the number of abortions by mode of provision (in-person, telehealth/mail order, and/or abortion drugs obtained under shield laws), their data is the best available. This information was updated as of July 17, 2026.
- Abortion totals prior to 2017 are from the CDC. South Carolina did not report its drug-induced abortion total to the CDC in 2005.
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