Close to 80 independent abortion clinics closed since fall of Roe
Abortion Care Network issues report that shows state of independent providers.
The Abortion Care Network issued a new report that shows the increasing challenge of independent abortion clinics, which continue to serve a vital role in providing reproductive care.
Communities Need Clinics 2024: There is No Access Without Abortion Care Providers was released earlier this month by the group. It indicated that independent clinics provide 58 percent of abortions nationwide. In restrictive states, they provide an even more significant proportion.
Seventy-six percent of brick-and-mortar independent clinics offer both medication and in-clinic abortion care, as compared to Planned Parenthood, where both medication and in-clinic abortion care are available at only 38 percent of affiliated clinics.
Independent abortion clinics are more likely the ones that will provide care at a later point of pregnancy. The report indicated that 88 percent of abortions after 22 weeks were done at such facilities, and 100 percent past 26th week were.
​​ When Abortion Care Network started tracking clinic closures in 2012, we identified 510 independent abortion clinics open in the US.
As of October 2024, ACN identified 363 brick-and-mortar independent abortion clinics, as well as 223 online-only clinics. While many online-only clinics and a handful of brick-and-mortar clinics have opened over the years, the number of independent clinics in the U.S. has decreased by 29 percent since 2012.
The report identified 76 independent abortion clinic closures between 2022 and 2024. Forty-two independent clinics closed in 2022, and 23 clinics closed in 2023. As of November 2024, 11 confirmed independent clinic closures have occurred this year.
A lack of abortion clinics has long been a problem. Even before Roe was overturned, 89 percent of U S counties were without an abortion provider. This number quickly increased as clinics across the country were forced to close. Currently, 14 states have no abortion clinics at all. The devastation has been especially stark in the Midwest and South, where nearly 70 percent of the independent clinics forced to close since the Dobbs decision were located, according to the report.
The rest of the report includes recommendations about preserving the workforce and their safety. It’s attached below.
