Washington DC - New research shows that the number of legal abortions rose in the US in 2023, mostly in safe-haven states, as they offered care to people traveling from states where abortion care is banned or restricted.

According to the Guttmacher Institute's estimates, the number of legal abortions most likely increased in the first six months of 2023 compared to 2020, mostly in states where the procedure is legally protected.

Specifically, abortions increased in states that border those with restrictions as people travel to get the healthcare they need.

Examples are Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Illinois, where the number of abortions rose significantly by an estimated 69% in 2023 compared to the same period in 2020.

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But researchers emphasized that these increases shouldn't be attributed entirely to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, since the trend predates last year's ruling.

Though the number of estimated abortions rose in safe haven states, there has been a corresponding drop in states with bans and restrictions.

Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, and Texas have significant decrease. The monthly average in the Lone Star state has plummeted from 4,800 abortions per month in 2020 to just four in 2023.

Researchers caution that more work is needed to understand the impact of abortion restrictions, as well as how the explosion of access to abortion pills and telehealth has changed abortion care.

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What's more, these numbers are about to change as more restrictions take effect. South Carolina, for example, which saw a 124% bump in abortions, recently enacted a near-total abortion ban.

The Guttmacher Institute put all this data online and will keep it updated.