TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The number and rate of U.S. abortions increased from 2017 to 2020 after a long decline.
That's according to new figures released Wednesday by a research group that supports abortion rights.
The Guttmacher Institute counted about 930,000 abortions in the U.S. in 2020.
That's up from about 862,000 abortions in 2017 when national abortion figures reached their lowest point since the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized the procedure nationwide.
The institute found that one in five pregnancies ended in abortion in 2020.
Per the Guttmacher Institute, Arizona accounts for 1.4% of the nation's total.
It discovered 13,320 abortions were accounted for in Arizona.
The data shows Arizona had a 7% increase in abortions from 2017-2020.
This report comes as the Supreme Court appears on track to overturn that decision.
Guttmacher conducts the nation's most comprehensive survey of abortion providers every three years.
Medication abortions accounted for 54% of U.S. abortions in 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic may have played a part in some states that saw fewer abortions.
In New York, abortions increased from 2017 to 2019 but decreased by 6% between 2019 and 2020.
In Texas, there was a 2% decrease between 2019 and 2020.
But some states saw an increase, which may have been due to the expansion of Medicaid access to abortion.
In Illinois, abortions increased about 25% between 2017 and 2020.
