Report Details Rise of Chemical Abortions, State Actions, and New Efforts to Protect Women and Unborn Children

WASHINGTON — A newly published national report documents shifts in America’s abortion landscape, highlighting the expansion of chemical abortions, shield laws that protect abortionists and not women, and renewed efforts to protect women and unborn children following the fall of Roe v. Wade.

The Status of Abortion in the United States 2026, released by National Right to Life, offers a comprehensive overview of abortion policy, statistics, and legal developments at the federal and state levels.

Among its findings:

• Chemical abortions now account for nearly two-thirds of all U.S. abortions, driven largely by mail-order pills shipped into every state, often in violation of local safeguards.
• Half of the states have moved to enshrine abortion in law or state constitutions, while 19 states currently enforce protections for unborn children at or before 12 weeks of pregnancy.
• New research shows abortion pills are associated with far higher complication rates than previously acknowledged, prompting a renewed federal review of mifepristone.
• The Hyde Amendment marks its 50th anniversary and it is estimated to have saved more than 2.6 million lives by preventing taxpayer funding of abortion.

The report also introduces National Right to Life’s APPLE Act (Abortion Pill Provider Liability and Education Act), model legislation designed to hold abortion-pill providers accountable and give women legal recourse when harmed.

“This report makes clear that while Roe is gone, the abortion industry has simply shifted tactics—relying heavily on dangerous mail-order pills and legal loopholes to avoid accountability,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “At the same time, we’re seeing encouraging momentum in states working to protect both women and their unborn children. The APPLE Act is one important step toward restoring transparency and responsibility in an industry that has operated for too long without either.”

The 2026 edition also reviews recent federal actions affecting abortion policy, including enforcement of Hyde protections, renewed limits on international abortion funding, and pending U.S. Food and Drug Administration scrutiny of chemical abortion drugs.

“This is a moment of stark contrast in America,” Tobias added. “Some states are racing to entrench abortion at any cost, while others are advancing compassionate policies that recognize the humanity of unborn children and provide real support to mothers. Our goal is to help lawmakers and the public understand what’s happening—and why it matters.”

The Status of Abortion in the United States 2026 is National Right to Life’s 13th annual report and is available on the website here.

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide, and euthanasia.