This year, Florida has experienced a major decline in abortions, partially due to Governor Ron DeSantis passing a 15-week abortion ban, saving the lives of more than 11,000 babies.
According to recent data from the state health department, abortions performed in Florida have decreased by 14.5% since last year. There have been 68,217 abortions this year in the state of Florida, as opposed to 79,817 abortions last year.
In 2021, 94% of abortions were performed on state residents and about 2,286 abortions were performed after 15 weeks of gestation.
In 2020, nearly 75,000 abortions were reported, 95% of which were performed on state residents.
The Miami Herald reported, “Excluding the last month of the year, Florida appears to be on track to see fewer abortions in 2022 than the year prior, according to data from the Agency of Health Care Administration. Florida’s 15-week abortion ban went into effect in the summer of 2022, with no exceptions for rape or incest. There are some exceptions made for the health of the mother and the viability of the fetus.”
DeSantis, who passed the pro-life law in April, has repeatedly expressed his desire for every life to count and for every human to “have a shot” at living their life.
“I just think we’re better when everybody counts,” DeSantis said. “I understand not everyone is going to be born in perfect circumstances, but I would like to see everybody have a shot.”
Speaking on the 15-week limit, DeSantis said, “This is a time where these babies have beating hearts. They can move. They can taste.”
Kathleen Passidomo, the incoming Republican President of the Florida Senate, would like to shorten the 15-week abortion ban to 12 weeks.
Planned Parenthood is reportedly confused as to why the abortion numbers have decreased this year, citing a doubling of abortions around the time of Roe v. Wade being overturned.
The executive director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, Laura Goodhue, said that she is “struggling to understand why” abortion seemed on track to be lower this year.
Indeed, the number of out-of-state abortions did increase in 2022. Not including December, the number of out-of-state abortions this year was 5,439. Last year, the number was 4,873. However, the increase in out-of-state abortions does not equal the drop in other states.
The most abortions this year took place in Miami-Dade County, which had a reported 12,703.
