Abortion Complications Have Tripled in Pennsylvania as Botched Abortions Injure More Women

As we start the new year, the Pennsylvania Department of Health has released their annual report on abortion and, once again, it shows more abortions, more complications from abortion, and more problems that Pennsylvania needs to correct.

In 2022, there were 34,838 abortions reported in Pennsylvania, the highest number of annual abortions in the last ten years.

Here are some takeaways from this latest state report:

1. Over 95 abortions every day in PA in 2022.

Over the last five years, nearly 5,000 more babies have been aborted annually (2017: 30,011 | 2022: 34,838).

Of note, the 2022 total is lower than the average totals during the 2000s; as over 36,000+ abortions happened on average between 2000-2009. It’s also less than half of the highest-ever year on abortion, which was over 65,000 abortions in 1980.

Currently, there are 18 abortion facilities in Pennsylvania, of which half failed a health inspection in 2023.

2. Reported complications from abortion have tripled in the last five years.

In 2022, there were 469 reported complications in PA from abortion, a nearly 50% increase from the previous year. It’s triple the number of complications from just five years prior (143 in 2017). It’s also a seven-fold increase in reported complications in the last fifteen years (67 in 2008).

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“More than 75 percent of the complications were related to retained products of conception, 14.7 percent to bleeding and 3.6 percent to infection,” states the report.

This alarming rise in complications comes as the U.S. Supreme Court will soon hear the case involving the FDA’s removal of common-sense safeguards for women regarding chemical abortions.

3. Over four thousand babies were aborted after three months in pregnancy.

In 2022, more than 4,000 babies were aborted after three months (12 weeks) in pregnancy.

Unborn babies at 12 weeks are fully formed: “All of your baby’s vital organs and body parts are in place. They’ll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.” (BabyCenter)

Additionally, of these 4,000 babies, more than 500 were aborted after five months in pregnancy (20 weeks). This should be a saddening reminder of former PA Gov. Tom Wolf’s cruel veto of a bill passed by the PA General Assembly in 2017 that would have moved Pennsylvania’s abortion limit from its current six months to five months in pregnancy.

4. Abortion continues to disproportionately impact Pennsylvania’s Black community.

“Nearly half, (16,065) of all abortions performed in Pennsylvania were to white individuals, and 14,923 were to Black or African-American individuals,” writes the report.

White individuals make up 46% of PA’s abortions but represent 77% of the total population. Black or African-American individuals make up 43% of total abortions yet represent just 11% of the total population.

“Among the Black community, there is a drastically disproportionate impact of abortion.” – The late Rev. Dean Nelson

“Abortion is the single leading cause of death in the Black community. Nationally, over 20 million black babies have been killed since Roe v. Wade. That’s a third of the total abortions while black people only make up 13.6% of the population. Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood and leader in the eugenics movement, would be proud.” ~ Retired Judge Cheryl Allen

5. Highest number of chemical abortions ever recorded in Pennsylvania.

More than 19,000 abortions in PA were chemical abortions, the highest number ever on record. Chemical abortions account for more than half (55%) of all abortions in Pennsylvania.

The number of chemical abortions in PA has doubled in the last ten years (2013: 8,983). This rise in chemical abortions has coincided with the rise in complications from abortions

“Abortion pills aren’t safe. Mifepristone is associated with 28 deaths, thousands of serious adverse events, and more than 500 life-threatening complications—that we know of, due to weak state and federal reporting requirements.” – Melanie Israel, Heritage Foundation

Even more dangerous, these pills are being sent via mail to women across Pennsylvania via telemedicine – abortionists prescribing these pills without verifying the pregnancy, gestational age, or risk of ectopic pregnancy via ultrasound or other tests. The PA General Assembly passed a law to ensure abortion would not be used through telemedicine, but yet again former PA Governor Tom Wolf vetoed that legislation in 2020.

One Final Take

Over the last fifteen years, while abortion has consistently remained above 30,000 babies every year, what type of indicator about abortion has not changed in Pennsylvania? The abortion rate of unmarried women.

• 2008: 87%
• 2022: 87%

LifeNews Note: Dan Bartkowiak writes for the Pennsylvania Family Institute where this column originally appeared.

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