New Peer-Reviewed Article: Planned Parenthood, Abortion Drugs Major Drivers of U.S. Abortions

CLI analysis notes rise in abortions coincides with Planned Parenthood’s growing focus on abortion and the expanded use of abortion drugs.

Washington D.C.— A new peer-reviewed article from the Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI) highlights the factors behind the 20% rise in U.S. abortions from 2017 to 2023, reversing a 30-year decline. The article emphasizes trends suggesting Planned Parenthood’s intensified focus on abortion and the increased reliance on abortion drugs have driven the U.S. abortion rate and contributed to this sharp upward trend.

Planned Parenthood, which generates over $2 billion annually, prioritizes abortion over health services that include cancer screenings and prenatal care. Instead, they channel their resources into political advocacy. Its political arm spent $70 million during the 2024 election cycle alone to promote abortion.

Key findings:

• Abortion First: In 2023, Planned Parenthood performed nearly 4 in 10 abortions in the U.S., a dramatic increase from its 14% market share in 1999. In that same time period, while abortions at other centers dropped by 44%, Planned Parenthood’s abortions increased by 120%.
• Abortion Drug Reliance: The sharp rise in abortions since 2018 corresponds with the FDA weakening safeguards for abortion drugs, first approving the drugs to be used later in pregnancy and then allowing access to these drugs without any in-person testing or medical supervision.
• Manipulating Messaging: The abortion industry manipulates its messaging to exploit real-world circumstances, such as labeling abortion “essential health care” during COVID-19 to avoid restrictions on elective abortions while simultaneously suing to eliminate in-person requirements for abortion drugs.

Dr. James Studnicki, vice president and director of data analytics at CLI and the article’s lead author, said:

“Planned Parenthood has transformed itself into the dominant provider of abortion in the United States, capitalizing on shifts in both regulation and rhetoric to drive demand. Their strategic pivot toward abortion, coupled with the rise of abortion drugs, has fundamentally reshaped the abortion landscape. This troubling reversal of nearly 30 years of progress in reducing abortions underscores how an industry can actively drive demand for abortions on healthy moms with healthy babies.”

CLI’s full analysis can be found HERE.

Charlotte Lozier Institute was launched in 2011 as the education and research arm of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. CLI is a hub for research and public policy analysis on some of the most pressing issues facing the United States and nations around the world. The Institute is named for a feminist physician known for her commitment to the sanctity of human life and equal career and educational opportunities for women.

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