30,000 sought abortions in North Carolina in 2020. See the data.

More than 30,000 people received abortions in North Carolina in 2020 — an option whose future in the state may soon turn uncertain.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade in June returns the legality of abortion care to states to decide.

Of the just over 30,000 people who sought abortions in 2020, roughly 5,000 were out-of-state residents.

Abortion rates have remained mostly consistent in the state in recent years, though over decades they have trended down, according to data from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

Abortion rates in NC:

• 2020: 12.1
• 2019: 11.4
• 2018: 11.3
• 2017: 11.2
• 2016: 11.5
• 2015: 11.5
• 2014: 10.6
• 2013: 10
• 2012: 10.7
• 2011: 11.4

Those rates were all lower than in prior decades, which saw rates decline from 21.7 in 1990 to 13.2 in 2010.

(Abortion rates are calculated as the number of abortions per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44, although women outside of that age range and people who do not identify as women can become pregnant and receive abortions. DHHS does not have data available from 2021 and noted that the numbers of annual abortions were underreported between 2011 and 2014. )

Number of abortions in NC:

• 2020: 30,004
• 2019: 28,450
• 2018: 27,581
• 2017: 27,183
• 2016: 27,138
• 2015: 27,631
• 2014: 24,605
• 2013: 22,820
• 2012: 24,439
• 2011: 26,192

The state saw those figures decline from 34,565 in 1990 to 30,952 in 2010.

The United States as a whole saw the abortion rate drop 20% between 2011 and 2017, according to data from the Guttmacher Institute, a national group that supports abortion rights. That rate fell from 16.9 in 2011 to 13.5 in 2017.

“Our best guess is that it’s a combination of increased access to high quality birth control, especially long-acting contraceptive methods, and a decrease in sexual activity among young people,” said Jenny Black, president of Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, of the declining rates. Improved sex education may also have contributed, she added.

In 2019, the Guttmacher Institute pointed to declines in births and pregnancies overall as the apparent cause of the reduced abortion rate, stating abortion restrictions “were not the main driver of the decline.”

But the number of people seeking abortions at clinics in North Carolina each year could change significantly if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

Such a decision could embolden anti-abortion lawmakers in NC, seeing further restrictions or a total ban pushed through the state legislature. In the meantime, more immediate bans in other states could see an influx of people traveling to North Carolina to receive an abortion, The Charlotte Observer reported.

Barriers already in place, advocates say

Unlike some other states, North Carolina does not have a “trigger ban” in place that would outlaw abortion immediately, but the state could see a contested law banning abortions after 20 weeks go into effect, The News & Observer reported.

“We have many restrictions already in place, a lot of hoops, making it difficult for patients to access abortion care just as it is,” Black said. “Something like 90% of counties in North Carolina don’t have an abortion provider, so we already are in a situation where people are driving long distances to get basic, fundamental health care.”

She added that people of color disproportionately feel the effects of abortion bans and restrictions, noting that traveling out of the state to receive an abortion would require people to arrange for child care, endure lost wages, and pay for transportation and lodging.

“The more barriers there are in place, the fewer people are able to overcome those barriers,” Black said. “The people most likely to be unable to travel will find themselves in forced pregnancy.”

This story was originally published May 4, 2022 at 10:50 AM.