PA Abortion Totals Rise

Member Group : News Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                   CONTACT: MARIA GALLAGHER, PPLF

January 15, 2025                                                         717-541-0034

 HARRISBURG, PA—The number of abortions rose in Pennsylvania during the year 2023, according to figures released by the PA Department of Health.

 “Every abortion is a tragedy, but the increase in the number of abortions in Pennsylvania is particularly disturbing,” said Maria Gallagher, executive director for the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, the Keystone State affiliate of National Right to Life.

 “Pennsylvania women deserve better than abortion, which is the taking of an innocent, unrepeatable human life. We need to invest more in services that empower pregnant women to make life-affirming decisions for themselves and their families,” Gallagher added.

 Statistics show 35,412 abortions took place in Pennsylvania in 2023, an increase over the 2022 total of 34,838.

 “Imagine how many kindergarten classes those statistics represent. We mourn the loss of these precious children, who never got the chance to see their mother’s face,” Gallagher said.

 The upsurge in abortion totals appears to be driven by the ever-rising number of chemical abortions, which now outnumber surgical abortions. The Department of Health states that 524 reports of complications from abortions were recorded in 2023—an increase of nearly 12 percent over the previous year’s totals.

 “Why are so many complications being reported? This is a public health problem that deserves immediate attention from Health Department officials,” Gallagher added.

 The number of abortions in Pennsylvania would be much higher were it not for Pennsylvania’s many pregnancy resource centers, which offer everything from diapers to day care referrals, and from mentoring to maternity clothes to pregnant women in need.   

 

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The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation is a grassroots right-to-life organization with members statewide. As the state affiliate of National Right to Life, PPLF is committed to promoting the dignity and value of human life and to restoring legal protection for preborn children and safety nets for pregnant mothers and their babies.