to Louisiana 2022 abortion report was published by the Louisiana Department of Health in June 2023. Parish and clinic data were provided to the Department of Health’s Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI) upon request. The report shows that abortions have dropped sharply from 2021.
Abortion Totals and Trends
In 2022, there were 4,570 abortions reported in Louisiana, down 39% from last year (Figure 1). CLI estimates that Louisiana’s abortion rate in 2022, 5.0 abortions per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44, will also decrease significantly (by 38%) (Figure 2).1 As of October 2023, 23 states have released 2022 abortion statistics, with 10 reporting a decrease in abortions since 2021.
State Report Summary
The majority of abortions in Louisiana involve women in their twenties, with 30% involving women ages 20 to 24 and 27% women ages 25 to 29. Thirty percent were performed in women at the age of thirty years, while 10% were performed on girls under the age of 20 and 3% on women over 40 years old.
Sixty-four percent of abortions reported in Louisiana were performed on black women, 20% on white women, and 16% on women of other races. There were 26 abortions (0.6%) where race was not reported. The CLI estimates that Louisiana’s black abortion rate is 8.8 abortions per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44, five times the white abortion rate of 1.7.
Ninety percent of abortions in Louisiana are performed on unmarried women. Nine percent were obtained by married women, and 1% by women whose marital status was unknown.
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Most abortions reported in 2022—56%—were performed using suction curettage. Louisiana does not report chemical abortions separately, instead lumping them together in a category of abortions performed using “other methods.” “Other” abortions accounted for 40% of the total. Dilation and evacuation abortions made up 4% of the total, while the number of sharp curettage procedures was smaller than five and was suppressed.
Twelve percent of abortions in Louisiana were performed at six weeks of pregnancy or earlier, and 26% were performed between seven and eight weeks. Overall, 38% of abortions performed in Louisiana occurred at eight weeks of pregnancy or earlier, up from 52% in 2021. Twenty-four percent of abortions were performed between nine and 10 weeks, the same percentage in 2021. In contrast, 38% of abortions in Louisiana were reported at 11 weeks and later in 2022, up from 25 % in 2021. Seventeen percent occurred between 11 and 12 weeks of pregnancy, 12% were performed between 13 and 14 weeks of pregnancy, and 8% were reported between 15 and 16 weeks. One percent occurred between 17 and 19 weeks of gestation, and none were reported at twenty weeks.
Thirty percent of abortions in Louisiana are reported to be performed for mental health reasons, while 2% are performed for the mother’s physical health. There were 21 abortions for rape or incest (0.5%) and 10 because of the risk of fetal deformity (0.2%). Most abortions performed in Louisiana, 68%, were performed for other, unspecified reasons.
After the passage of HB 357, beginning in August 2021, the Department of Health posted additional data on abortions involving minors for the remainder of the year. However, the 2022 data has not yet been posted as of September 2023.
Parish/Clinic Data
The Louisiana Department of Health provided CLI with information about the parish and abortion facility where the abortions took place (“parishes” in Louisiana correspond to counties elsewhere). Half of the abortions took place at Hope Medical Group for Women in Caddo Parish. Twenty-eight percent occurred at the Delta Women’s Clinic in East Baton Rouge Parish, and 22% occurred at the Women’s Health Care Center in Orleans Parish. In addition to the 4,570 abortions reported in Louisiana, there were 993 abortions known to have been performed on Louisiana residents in other states. The report does not indicate where these abortions occurred, and they are not included in any of the other tables in the report.
In August 2022, the Supreme Court of the state of Louisiana affirmed the state law that limits abortion in all cases unless the mother’s life is in danger or the unborn child has a “fatal fetal anomaly.” Following this decision, all three clinics in Louisiana decided to close and potentially move to other states. The clinics originally declined to say where they planned to move. However, in June 2023, the New York Times noted that the Shreveport clinic has moved to Western Florida. Where the other two clinics have moved to, or if they exist at all, is unknown.
Legislative Changes
In addition to Louisiana’s life of conception law, which then took effect Roe v. Wade was repealed in June 2022, Governor John Bel Edwards signed two pieces of legislation to enact stronger protections against chemical abortions in the state. SB 342 contains a provision to prevent out-of-state companies from shipping abortion pills to Louisiana residents. SB 388 prohibits the distribution of chemical abortions by mail or telehealth means and requires that women undergoing chemical abortions must be provided with personal care.
State Ranking
In the CLI’s 2016 review of abortion reporting nationwide, Louisiana ranked 10thth best. Louisiana could improve its reporting by adding chemical abortion to its abortion reporting form. Because of Louisiana law that limits abortion unless the mother’s life is in danger or the unborn baby has a serious medical condition that is likely to be fatal, Louisiana can also require that abortion providers submit a written which explains why an emergency abortion is necessary, such as some. other states do. Louisiana may also require any medical professional treating an abortion complication to report not only complications related to surgical abortions (pursuant to Law 425) but also requires that complications related to chemical abortions be reported as well, as Chemical abortions have a complication rate four times that of surgical abortions.
- National rates are calculated by the Guttmacher Institute. Louisiana rates are calculated by CLI using the following formula: (total number of abortions performed in Louisiana ÷ number of female residents ages 15-44 [based on most recent population estimates]) x 1,000. Rates may vary slightly from previous CLI articles due to revised population estimates and abortion totals. Population estimates were obtained from the CDC WONDER database. Population estimates were obtained from the CDC WONDER database. Estimates for 2005-2009 are intercensal estimates of July 1 resident population. Estimates for 2010-2019 are Vintage 2020 postcensal estimates of July 1 resident population. Estimates for 2020 -2022 are Vintage 2022 postcensal resident population estimates as of July 1. Estimates are produced by the US Census Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics.
LifeNews Note: Tessa Longbons is a research associate at Susan B. Anthony List’s research arm, Charlotte Lozier Institute.
