Who receives abortions in Pennsylvania? What state data details about the procedure
Future access to abortion is in question across the U.S. as the Supreme Court is positioned to overturn Roe v. Wade this summer.
Pennsylvania does not currently have a “trigger law” on the books, meaning abortion isn’t slated to be automatically banned in the state if the landmark precedent is upended.
But how common is abortion in Pennsylvania, and in what week of gestation do patients typically get the procedure? State data gives an indication.
There were 32,123 total abortions recorded in Pennsylvania in 2020, slightly more than the 31,018 procedures in 2019. 2020 is the most recent year for which state data are available.
Who receives abortions in the state of PA?
The simplified profile of a patient seeking abortion in Pennsylvania is that of a person in their mid-twenties who is unmarried and in their first trimester of pregnancy.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s 2020 report, 90% of abortions in the state happened in the following eight counties: Allegheny, Chester, Dauphin, Delaware, Lehigh, Northampton, Philadelphia and York. Only 117 abortions were recorded in Centre County, with the largest age group being 20 to 24 year olds.
Pennsylvania residents receive the majority of abortions in the state, with 2,143 patients seeking care from other U.S. states, and one from another country.
There were fewer complications reported in 2020 than in 2019, with physicians recording 239 issues in 2020 and 285 the year before. Complications are still up from previous years. There were 179 issues reported in 2018, and 143 in 2017.
Although complications have risen in the past few years, they still only occurred with about 0.74% of abortions in 2020.
The same year, more than 75% of complications involved retained products of conception. Bleeding made up 13.8% of reports, and 5% of complications included infection.
Most abortions are performed in the first eight weeks of pregnancy, and the most common type of procedure was non-surgical.
PA abortions by the numbers
This data is sourced from the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s annual abortion report for procedures completed in 2020.
Type of procedure:
Medical (non-surgical): 16,349
Suction curettage: 14,278
Dilation and evacuation: 1,350
Hysterotomy/hysterectomy: 5
Intrauterine instillation (saline or prostaglandin): 4
Other: 8
Patient marital status:
Unmarried: 28,281
Married: 3,755
Unknown: 87
Patient age:
12 or younger: 6
13: 21
14: 75
15: 130
16: 212
17: 311
18: 713
19: 1,071
20-24: 8,627
25-29: 9,841
30-34: 6,682
35-39: 3,344
40-44: 994
45 or older: 96
Weeks of gestation:
8 or fewer: 21,934
9-10: 4,715
11-12: 2,096
13-14: 1,242
15-17: 1,099
18-20: 599
21-23: 438
24 or more: 0
Patient race:
White: 14,813
Black: 14,177
Asian/Pacific Islander: 1,099
More than one race: 1,147
All other races: 370
Unknown: 517
Hispanic origin:
Hispanic: 3,479
Non-Hispanic: 28,568
People of Hispanic origin can be of any race.
More information about pregnancy termination in Pennsylvania can be found online for years 2020, 2019, 2018 and earlier.
