Tessa Cox
Senior Research AssociateTessa Cox is Senior Research Associate at Charlotte Lozier Institute, where her research focuses on abortion statistics at the state and national levels and the changing landscape of abortion policy, provision, and access in the United States.
Tessa has appeared on CBN News and EWTN News Nightly and has testified before Members of Congress on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. Her work has been featured by National Review Online, Newsweek, The Gospel Coalition, Fox News, The Daily Signal, and many other national media outlets. She has contributed to peer-reviewed research on women’s experiences with chemical abortion and the impact of abortion on women enrolled in Medicaid.
Originally from Illinois, Tessa earned a BA in Communications from Thomas Edison State University. Prior to joining CLI, she got her start in pro-life research with the Family Research Council.
Research Authored
Abortion Reporting: Delaware (2019)
Delaware’s 2019 abortion report was published online in June 2021 by the Delaware Department of Health and Human Services. The report shows that abortions increased from 2018.
Abortion Reporting: Wyoming (2020)
Wyoming’s 2020 abortion report, published online in June 2021, shows that the majority of Wyoming abortions are chemical.
Analysis: FDA Decision Ignores Data on Complications, Puts Women at Risk
As a dangerous drug, mifepristone has been subject to regulations put in place by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2000.[1] Under these regulations, called a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS), mifepristone may only be dispensed in person by certain qualified medical providers.
Abortion Reporting: Michigan (2020)
In 2020, there were 29,669 abortions reported in Michigan, up nearly nine percent from the previous year and the highest total reported since 1996.
Abortion Reporting: Colorado (2020)
There were 10,368 abortions reported in Colorado in 2020, an increase of more than 15 percent from the previous year. The increase was driven by chemical abortions: chemical abortions jumped by 38 percent, making up 66 percent of the total in 2020.
A Longitudinal Cohort Study of Emergency Room Utilization Following Mifepristone Chemical and Surgical Abortions, 1999–2015
Existing research on postabortion emergency room visits is sparse and limited by methods which underestimate the incidence of adverse events following abortion. Postabortion emergency room (ER) use since Food and Drug Administration approval of chemical abortion in 2000 can identify trends in the relative morbidity burden of chemical versus surgical procedures.
Abortion Reporting: North Dakota (2020)
In 2020, there were 1,171 abortions reported in North Dakota, up four percent from the previous year. Chemical abortions reached a record high, surging by 106 percent from 360 in 2019 to 743 in 2020.
Abortion Reporting: Connecticut (2019)
There were 9,202 abortions reported in Connecticut in 2019, down nearly one percent from the previous year. However, chemical abortions jumped 14 percent between 2018 and 2019, making up 50 percent of the total in 2019.
Abortion Reporting: Alaska (2020)
There were 1,206 abortions reported in Alaska in 2020, down five percent from the previous year and the lowest annual total since Alaska began publishing abortion statistics in 2003. At the same time, chemical abortions jumped by 46 percent, an increase of 142 chemical abortions from the previous year.
Abortion Reporting: Louisiana (2019)
Louisiana’s 2019 abortion report was published online in March 2021. The report shows that abortions increased slightly from 2018.