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: South Dakota (2022)
South Dakota’s 2022 abortion report was published by the South Dakota Department of Health in June 2023. The report shows that total abortions (including chemical abortions) decreased from 2021.
Abortion Reporting: Nebraska (2022)
Nebraska’s 2022 abortion report was published in June 2023, showing that abortions had increased in the state from 2021.
Abortion Reporting: Minnesota (2022)
Minnesota’s annual abortion report for 2022 was published online by the Minnesota Department of Health in July 2023. The report shows that Minnesota’s abortion total increased from 2021.
Abortion Reporting: Indiana (2022)
Indiana’s 2022 abortion report was published in June 2023, revealing that abortions increased from 2021 in the Hoosier State.
Abortion Reporting: Illinois (2021)
The Illinois Department of Public Health published its 2021 abortion statistics online in June 2023.
Abortion Reporting: Kansas (2022)
This June, Kansas released its 2022 in-state abortion data. The number of abortions performed on Kansas residents in other states may be updated as additional reports are received by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Abortion Reporting: Michigan (2022)
Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services published its 2022 abortion statistics in June 2022, showing that abortions had increased from the previous year.
Abortion Reporting: Louisiana (2021)
Louisiana’s 2021 abortion report was published by the Louisiana Department of Health in June 2023. The data published on the Department’s website is marked as preliminary, but CLI was able to confirm via email correspondence with Department officials that the data is final. The report shows that abortions slightly decreased from 2020.
Abortion Reporting: West Virginia (2022)
West Virginia’s 2022 abortion statistics were published in June 2023 via their Induced Termination of Pregnancy (ITOP) report, showing that abortions in the Mountain State have decreased dramatically since 2021.
2021 Abortion Trends and Predictions for 2022 and Beyond
As of June 14, 2023, there were 31 states that had released abortion statistics for both 2020 and 2021. Twenty-two states reported an increase in abortions from 2020, while nine states reported that abortions declined.