Records show steep drop in abortions performed in Kentucky in 2022

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – More than a year after nearly all abortions were banned in Kentucky, statistics show how they impacted those across the Commonwealth.

Tamarra Wieder, the Kentucky Director for Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, says this isn’t a surprise, but it is hard to see those numbers.

In Kentucky’s annual abortion report for 2022, there were just three abortions provided from August to December.

August 1 was when Kentucky’s trigger law and the six-week ban went into effect.

“When you see that stop from July to August, it’s just really hard because you know that there are people that scheduled appointments who needed appointments, who then had to flee the state to get access to care,” Wieder said.

While Tamarra Wieder says these statistics are devastating, Addia Wuchner, the Executive Director of Kentucky Right to Life, says it’s a positive change.

The total number of abortions from 2021 to 2022 dropped by more than 1,800 people.

“If you really look back, there was a time that we were doing 6,000 to 8,000 abortions. I mean, if you kind of go back in the history of terminating lives of unborn children in the pro-life movement here in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and as I said, our work continues, but seeing that dramatic drop, we were so moved.” Wuchner said.

Both abortion rights and anti-abortion advocates say they will continue to fight for their side.

“It takes all of that coming together to bring us where we are today, but we still have a long way to go,” Wuchner said.

And Wieder says their doors will remain open to help patients in other ways, like helping them navigate across state lines.

“We are never going to give up the fight at all,” Wieder said.

Copyright 2023 WKYT. All rights reserved.