The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation reports the number of abortions increased in the Keystone state in 2022, the same year Roe v. Wade was overturned.
Statistics show 34,838 abortions took place that year which is 1,632 more abortions than 2021 as released by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and reviewed by the PA Pro-Life Federation.
The study shows that 22,104 abortions occurred at eight weeks or less. Medical abortions account for 19, 011 of those abortions.
This is the highest number of abortions in Pennsylvania in 10 years, and abortion complications have tripled in the last five years according to a report from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
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The bulk of those complications appear to have been from medical abortions. Of the 469 complications reported, 210 of them occurred at eight weeks or less and were due to “retained products of conception,” or an incomplete removal of the life. The statistics show that 224 were in fact medical abortions that resulted in retained products of conception. Other complications reported include 14.7 percent attributed to bleeding and 3.6 percent to infection.
Other statistics revealed the majority of abortions were white women (16,065) between the ages of 25-29 (10,107) who were unmarried (30,405).
This report comes months after the state’s 2022 elected Governor Josh Shapiro dropped funding from pregnancy centers, maternity homes and adoption centers under the umbrella of Real Alternatives.
The Pennsylvania Pregnancy Wellness Collaborative (PPWC)was formed as a result of this funding halt last summer.
Upon learning about the release from the Department of Health PPWC member Amy Scheuring said, “The PPWC is taking these numbers seriously as we seek ways to promote common sense safeguards in Harrisburg while nurturing pregnancy centers where women can access free ultrasound, an accurate explanation of abortion alternatives, and talk face to face with medical professionals.”
Scheuring is also executive director of Women’s Choice Network in Pittsburgh.
“Centers across the Commonwealth have converted to a medical model and invested countless private dollars to increase medical services in rural and urban communities,” she said. “The addition of ultrasound onsite at pregnancy centers affords women an earlier pregnancy diagnosis which in turn leads to earlier engagement in prenatal care. Ultrasound also allows for earlier detection of miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, or other urgent pregnancy complications. These services are vital for a woman contemplating chemical abortion.”
Scheuring addressed the increased use of medical abortions and the detrimental impact on women’s health as demonstrated in these statistics.
“Clearly abortion pills are not safe,” Scheuring said. “Nationally, mifepristone has been associated with dozens of deaths and hundreds of life-threatening complications that we know of. The loosening of abortion pill safeguards has further separated women from actual health care. Expanding ‘abortion care’ in Pennsylvania has been preferred over women’s health.”
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The notoriously left-leaning state of Pennsylvania continued to make it easier for women to have abortions as well as cause women to doubt the significance of pregnancy centers in the state during 2023. The state’s attorney general released an online form to allow pregnancy center clients to report complaints anonymously in an effort to exploit the centers.
Pennsylvania is also one of the 17 states Students for Life indicated needs more pro-life lobbying heading into this presidential election year.
