Nearly 65,000 US rape victims could not get an abortion in their state, analysis shows

Researchers estimated likely number of rape-related pregnancies in 14 states with near-total abortion bans since Dobbs ruling

Nearly 65,000 rape-related pregnancies likely occurred in the 14 US states with near-total abortion bans following the US supreme court’s 2022 Dobbs decision – yet just 10 legal abortions are performed monthly on average in these states, researchers found in a new analysis.

The data demonstrates that abortion bans likely make it impossible for most victims of rape to obtain abortions in their home states, even for the minority of people who live in states with exemptions for rape, researchers said.