Rhode Island Abortions Drop 36% as More Babies are Saved

Rhode Island’s 2022 abortion statistics have not yet been published by the state but are available in the 2022 abortion surveillance report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Statistics and Changes in Rhode Island Abortions, 2021-2022

The report does not include information on Planned Parenthood’s Rhode Island abortion market share.

Abortion Totals and Trends

Rhode Island’s state abortion reporting lags behind most other states. Rhode Island does not publish its reports online, and the latest report provided to the Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI) was for 2016. However, Rhode Island has shared data with the CDC to be included in the 2022 annual abortion surveillance report. This national report shows that between 2021 (2,175 abortions) and 2022 (1,383 abortions), abortions decreased by 36% overall with drug-induced abortions decreasing by 76% (Fig. 1). CLI estimates that Rhode Island’s 2022 abortion rate was 6.4 abortions per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44, a decrease of 36% (Fig. 2).¹

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In what follows, CLI summarizes the information that Rhode Island provided to the CDC. The data published by the CDC does not include the total number of abortions obtained by Rhode Island residents out of state or the number of self-managed abortions on women outside of the healthcare system. It is also unlikely that the report contains the number of mail-order abortion drugs obtained by Rhode Island residents prescribed by licensed abortion providers in other states.  In a separate section of this report, CLI will describe data provided by the Guttmacher Institute’s Monthly Abortion Provision Study that details the number of abortions performed in the state in 2023, as well as the number of Rhode Island women who traveled to other states to obtain abortions in 2023. Guttmacher’s abortion estimates include the number of abortions obtained at brick-and-mortar facilities and those provided via telehealth and virtual providers in the United States.

CDC Summary

In 2022, 10% of the abortions reported in Rhode Island were performed on women from other states, most of whom (9.5%) were from Massachusetts. Eighty-six percent of the abortions occurring in Rhode Island were performed on resident women.

Eight percent of Rhode Island abortions were performed on teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19, and 26% were performed on women in their early twenties. Twenty-seven percent were obtained by women in their later twenties and 35% by women in their thirties. To protect confidentiality, the CDC suppresses small numbers, and the number of abortions performed on girls younger than 15 and women older than 40 was suppressed. Altogether, age was unreported or suppressed for 4% of the abortions.

Fifty-eight percent of abortions were performed on non-Hispanic white women and 15% on non-Hispanic black women. Five percent of abortions were obtained by women of other races. The abortion rate of non-Hispanic black women was over double that of non-Hispanic white women. Non-Hispanic women accounted for 78% of the abortions while 18% were obtained by Hispanic women.

Forty-seven percent of the abortions were performed on women with no prior live births, and 60% were performed on women with no previous abortions. Twenty-four percent were obtained by women with one prior live birth and 23% by women with one previous abortion. Twenty-eight percent of Rhode Island abortions were performed on women with two or more previous live births and 17% on women with two or more prior abortions. Eighty-four percent of the abortions were performed on unmarried women compared to 13% on married women and 3% on women of unknown marital status.

In 2022, 19% of the abortions reported in Rhode Island were drug-induced. Eighty-one percent were surgical procedures while zero intrauterine instillation abortions were performed. The number of hysterectomy/hysterotomy abortions was suppressed. The type of procedure was unknown or suppressed for three abortions.

Forty percent of the abortions performed in Rhode Island in 2022 occurred at six weeks of gestation or earlier. Twenty-eight percent were performed between seven and nine weeks, and 18% occurred between 10 and 13 weeks of gestation. Six percent occurred from 14 to 15 weeks of gestation, 3% were between 16 and 17 weeks, and 4% between 18 and 20 weeks. Eight abortions were reported at 21 weeks of gestation or later. Abortions performed between zero and thirteen weeks decreased by 41% from 2021 to 2022, but the number of abortions performed between 14 and 20 weeks increased by 35%. The number of abortions performed at 21 weeks or later decreased by nine abortions from 2021 to 2022.

As a part of its 2022 surveillance report, the CDC publishes cross-tabulated information on the number of abortions by states of residence and occurrence for each state that provides occurrence data to the CDC. In 2022, there were 1,360 abortions performed on Rhode Island residents in and outside of the state. Of those 1,360 abortions, 1,190 were performed on Rhode Island residents in Rhode Island, meaning that 170 Rhode Island residents traveled out of state to obtain abortions. Of the 170 Rhode Island abortions obtained by residents out of state, 157 of them were obtained in Connecticut. However, because of data suppression rules, the CDC did not detail the other states, or the number of abortions obtained in those states that Rhode Island women traveled to. Lastly, in 2022 the CDC reported that of the 193 nonresidents who obtained abortions in Rhode Island, 132 were from Massachusetts.

2023 Guttmacher Data²

In 2023, Guttmacher estimated that 2,960 abortions occurred in Rhode Island. Also in 2023, an estimated 410 Rhode Island women traveled to Connecticut to obtain abortions.

Abortion Provider Breakdown in Rhode Island³

Legislative Changes

As CLI previously summarized, following the overturn of Roe v. Wade in June 2022, abortion remained legal in Rhode Island after viability to protect the mother’s life or health. However, the law does not define “health,” leaving this exception extremely broad.

In May 2023, Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee signed into law the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act, allowing Rhode Island tax dollars to pay for health insurance plans that cover abortions for state workers and Medicaid recipients.

In June 2024, Governor Mckee signed HB 7577 Substitute A into law. This legislation implements a shield law that protects abortion providers licensed in the state from civil or criminal action by other states or people.

State Ranking

In 2024, CLI evaluated abortion reporting across the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and New York City. Rhode Island tied for 43^rd place. Rhode Island could make its abortion statistics more accessible by compiling them more quickly and publishing them online as most other states do. Rhode Island added race and ethnicity to its reporting categories in the CDC’s 2022 abortion surveillance report. It would benefit from continuing to add more reporting categories. The Ocean State could follow up with abortion facilities in the state to ensure that all abortions and related complications are reported.

1. National rates were calculated by the Guttmacher Institute. Rhode Island rates were calculated by CLI using the following formula: (total number of abortions performed in Rhode Island ÷ number of resident women ages 15-44 [based on most recent population estimates]) x 1,000. Rates may differ slightly from previous CLI articles due to revised population estimates. Population estimates were obtained from the CDC WONDER database. Estimates for 2005-2009 are intercensal estimates of the July 1 resident population. Estimates for 2010-2019 are Vintage 2020 postcensal estimates of the July 1 resident population. Estimates for 2020-2022 are Vintage 2022 postcensal estimates of the July 1 resident population. Estimates were produced by the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics.
2. The Guttmacher Institute notes that their monthly abortion totals by states are estimates and that each state’s estimate is within a range of uncertainty. Guttmacher also notes that their estimates do not reflect abortions obtained by women in pro-life states under shield laws in effect in pro-abortion states.
3. Provider totals do not include hospitals or physician offices not listed in databases that compile abortion provider locations in different states, but do include Planned Parenthood locations, independent abortion centers, and hospitals/doctor’s offices included in databases like Abortion Finder and Ineedana. This information is updated as of January 8, 2025.

LifeNews Note:  Mia Steupert, M.A. is a research associate for the Charlotte Lozier Institute, where this originally appeared.

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