While the number of abortions procured in the US has steadily declined in recent decades, recent data indicate that this decline may be slowing as the use of chemical abortions rises.

The Charlotte Lozier Institute, the research arm of the pro-life organization Susan B. Anthony List, issued a report this month that analyzed the 2017 abortion figures released by 37 states.

Chuck Donovan, president of Charlotte Lozier Institute, told CNA that 2018 data from six states indicate a continuance of the increasing use of chemical abortions.

“What we may be seeing is that, through the promotion of chemical abortions and increasing the range of distribution … the long-term decline could be coming to an end,” he said.

The reported stated that in 2017 more than 470,000 abortions occurred in 37 states and that 39% of these were chemically induced. Out of 31 states, it highlighted an increased tendency to procure chemical abortions, and, out of 25 states, it mapped the trend of these chemical procedures from 2008 to 2017.

“Since 2008, total abortions among these 25 states have declined by 23 percent, while chemical abortions have increased by 68 percent. Between 2015 and 2017, total abortions fell by three percent, while chemical abortions rose by almost 20 percent,” the report stated.

Donovan said the trend follows the abortion industry’s push for telemedicine. He said chemical abortives have a wider range of distribution than a medical associate at a physical clinic.

Full story at Catholic News Agency.