Abortions Drop By 12,000 After Red State Heartbeat Protection Law Takes Effect

Abortions in Florida declined significantly in 2024 after the state passed a 6-week ban on the procedure in 2023.

Roughly 73,710 abortions were administered in the state in 2024 compared to 85,770 in 2023, a drop of about 12,100, according to a report from The Guttmacher Institute. Florida’s ban prohibits abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy, making exceptions for victims of rape, incest or human trafficking, in which case an abortion is permitted until 15-weeks gestation.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the heartbeat bill into law in April 2023, which a November ballot initiative that was struck down by voters threatened to overturn. A lawsuit filed against the state in 2022 by Planned Parenthood challenging the previous 15-week abortion ban also had the potential to prevent the 2023 law from taking effect, had it managed to declare a right to abortion in the state, but Florida’s Supreme Court ruled against the challenge.

DeSantis was a staunch opponent of the 2024 ballot initiative that threatened to overturn the state’s previous abortion restrictions, stating