Indiana report shows 8.5% increase in abortions during 2021

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The number of abortions performed in Indiana rose by 8.5% last year, according to a state report released Friday as state lawmakers are expected to soon debate tighter anti-abortion laws following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision eliminating the constitutional right to abortion.

An annual report from the Indiana Department of Health shows 8,414 abortions were performed in the state during 2021. That's 658 more than the 7,756 abortions during 2020 in Indiana, which was 1.6% above 2019′s 7,637.

Drug-induced abortions in 2021 also comprised about 56% of Indiana abortions, an slight increase from 2020, when for the first time they accounted for a majority in the state at 55%, about doubling the 2016 rate.

Indiana recorded just more than 80,000 live births during 2021, up from 2020′s about 79,000.

Abortion is still legal in Indiana, depending on the action by the Republican-dominated Legislature. Indiana’s attorney general asked federal judges Monday to lift orders blocking several state anti-abortion laws following the Supreme Court's ruling.

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Arleigh Rodgers is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Arleigh Rodgers on Twitter.