Four Years After Dobbs: The Real Impact by the Numbers
Four years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the data tells a clear story about abortion access in America. Here are the numbers every donor and advocate should know.
On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, overturning nearly 50 years of constitutional protection for abortion rights under Roe v. Wade. Four years later, the data on what followed is extensive, detailed, and undeniable.
Here are the numbers that define the post-Dobbs reality.
The ban landscape
14 states enforce total or near-total abortion bans as of mid-2026. Another 7 states enforce bans earlier than the viability standard that Roe established.
26 million women of reproductive age live in states with abortion bans or severe restrictions, according to the Guttmacher Institute. That's roughly one-third of all reproductive-age women in the country.
Abortion didn't stop — it moved
Despite predictions that bans would dramatically reduce the number of abortions, the opposite has occurred. In 2025, an estimated 1,126,000 abortions were performed in the United States — a number comparable to pre-Dobbs levels.
What changed is how and where people access care.
63% of all abortions are now medication abortions, using mifepristone and misoprostol. This share has grown steadily as telehealth access expanded.
27% of all abortions now occur via telehealth — up from just 5% in early 2022. Providers in shield law states prescribe medication abortion to patients across the country, shipping pills by mail.
91,000 telehealth abortions were provided to patients physically located in total-ban states in 2025 alone. For the first time, more people in ban states obtained pills via telehealth than traveled out of state for in-clinic care.
142,000 patients traveled across state lines for abortion care in 2025, seeking care in states where it remains legal. The states absorbing the most interstate patients include Illinois, New Mexico, Virginia, North Carolina, and Kansas.
The human cost
The statistics that matter most aren't about logistics — they're about lives.
Maternal mortality has risen in states with abortion bans. Texas, which enacted one of the earliest and most restrictive bans, has seen a significant increase in pregnancy-related deaths since its law took effect.
Named cases have put human faces on the crisis. Women have died or suffered severe medical complications after being denied timely abortion care in emergency situations. Doctors in ban states report delaying treatment for ectopic pregnancies, miscarriage management, and other pregnancy complications out of fear of prosecution.
The burden falls disproportionately on people who were already marginalized: low-income patients, people of color, undocumented immigrants, young people, and those living in rural areas far from state borders.
Shield laws became the infrastructure of access
One of the most significant post-Dobbs developments has been the rise of shield laws — state legislation that protects healthcare providers who prescribe abortion medication (or gender-affirming care) via telehealth to patients in ban states.
22 states plus DC now have shield law protections for reproductive healthcare, enabling telehealth providers to legally prescribe and ship medication to patients across state lines.
An estimated 15,000 abortions per month are provided under shield law protections to patients in ban states. The majority of those patients live in the states with the largest populations affected by bans.
Shield laws face their first major legal tests, with ban states attempting to prosecute and extradite providers. So far, shield law states have successfully blocked these efforts.
The funding gap is enormous
Abortion funds across the country have seen demand increase by 500% or more since Dobbs. Initial "rage donations" provided a temporary surge in funding, but as media attention faded, donations leveled off while demand continued to grow.
The result is a growing gap between what patients need and what funds can provide. Many abortion funds — including CE Repro Fund — receive far more requests for help than they can fulfill.
Sustained monthly giving is the only way to close this gap. One-time donations, while appreciated, create boom-and-bust cycles that make it impossible to plan ahead. Recurring monthly gifts create the predictable revenue that lets funds say yes to more patients.
What the next four years will bring
The 2026 election cycle includes critical ballot measures on reproductive rights. Virginia's Reproductive Freedom Amendment is expected on the November ballot. Missouri faces a legislatively referred measure to repeal its voter-approved abortion rights amendment. Nevada must re-approve its constitutional amendment.
At the federal level, ongoing lawsuits challenge mifepristone's FDA approval, and the Comstock Act remains a potential tool for a national abortion ban through administrative action.
The fight for reproductive healthcare access is far from over. It has shifted from one Supreme Court case to a thousand state-level battles, telehealth innovations, and fund-driven patient support systems.
Where CE Repro Fund fits in
CE Repro Fund provides direct financial assistance to patients in the greater Washington, DC area and beyond — funding abortion care, birth control, and transgender healthcare for people who cannot afford these services.
Four years after Dobbs, our work is more necessary than ever. The patients who come to us have already tried everything else. We are often the last barrier between them and the care they need.
Help us fund care for the next patient who reaches out. Donate today.