Abortion Trends in Georgia Following Enactment of the 22-Week Gestational Age Limit, 2007–2017

Abstract

Objectives. To measure trends before, during, and after implementation of Georgia House Bill 954, a limit on abortion at 22 or more weeks of gestation passed in 2012, in total abortions and abortions by gestational age and state residence. Methods. We analyzed aggregate year-level induced termination of pregnancy data from the Georgia Department of Public Health from 2007 to 2017. We used linear regression to describe annual trends in the number of abortions and χ 2 analyses to describe changes in proportions of abortions by gestational age (< 20 weeks, 20–21 weeks, and > 21 weeks) across policy implementation periods (before, partial, and full implementation) for Georgia residents and nonresidents. Results. Although the total number of abortions and abortions at 21 weeks or less remained stable from 2007 to 2017, the number of abortions at more than 21 weeks declined (P = .02). The decline in number of abortions at more than 21 weeks was steeper for nonresidents (31/year; Β = −31.3; P = .02) compared with Georgia residents (14/year; Β = −13.9; P = .06). Conclusions. Findings suggest that implementation of Georgia’s 22-week gestational age limit has effectively limited access to needed abortion services in Georgia and beyond.