Abortion is banned in Kentucky while the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the historic Roe v. Wade precedent Friday. The Commonwealth recorded more than 4,000 terminations of pregnancy in 2020, despite restrictions on the procedure.
Reproductive health care was not widely available in Kentucky even before the near-total ban, as only six Commonwealth facilities reported performing abortions in 2020, the most recent year for which data was available.
Who Terminated Pregnancies in Kentucky in 2020 and Where Were Abortions Performed? Kentucky’s 2020 Annual Abortion Report provides demographic information about patients.
Kentuckians, what questions do you have about abortion access and laws? Let us know
Who had abortions in Kentucky?
There were 4,104 abortions registered in Kentucky in 2020.
Patients receiving reproductive care are primarily Commonwealth residents in their 20s with college degrees. The gestational week with the highest number of terminations was six, and only 225 were reported by the 16th week or later.
The most common form of abortion in the Commonwealth is non-surgical.
Cases by facility
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EMW Women’s Surgical Center Louisville: 3,724
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Norton Hospital: 1
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Norton Women’s and Children’s Hospital: 1
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Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest: 368
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University of Kentucky Healthcare: 1
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University of Louisville: 9
State of residence
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Kentucky: 3.487
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Indiana: 401
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Tennessee: 153
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Ohio: 31
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West Virginia: 16
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Virginia: 4
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Mississippi: 3
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Louisiana: 2
One patient each from Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey and Texas had an abortion in Kentucky in 2020.
patient age
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Under 15: 13
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15-19: 353
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20-24: 1,192
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25-29: 1,229
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30-34: 779
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35-39: 399
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40 or older: 139
Marital status
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Unmarried: 3,581
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Married: 523
patient race
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Native: 5
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Black: 1.418
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White: 2227
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Other: 448
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Unknown: 6
Educational attainment
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Elementary (digits 0-12): 1,880
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College (1-4 years): 2,199
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College (5 or more years): 3
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Unknown: 22
Clinical Estimation of Pregnancy Weeks
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4: 1
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5: 163
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6:1156
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7: 778
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8: 631
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9:364
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10:201
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11: 167
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12:136
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13:86
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14:77
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15:70
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16:49
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17:55
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18:59
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19:33
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20:43
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21:34
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22:0
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23: 1
Procedure type:
Number of previous live births, still alive
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0: 1,387
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1: 1.092
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2: 931
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3: 426
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4: 179
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5:52
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6:19
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7:8
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8: 6
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9:1
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10:3
Previous pregnancies with miscarriage
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0: 3.249
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1: 648
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2: 147
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3:39
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4:12
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5: 3
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6: 3
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7: 1
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8: 0
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9:0
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10: 1
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11:0
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12:0
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13: 1
Previous number of abortions
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0: 2.685
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1:925
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2: 310
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3: 108
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4:34
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5:21
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6:12
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7: 3
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8: 1
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9:1
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10:3
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11:0
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12: 1
complications
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No complications reported: 4,074
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Incomplete abortion or preserved tissue: 18
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Other: 6
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Unknown: 6
What questions do you have about abortion rights in Kentucky? We would like to hear from you. Fill out the form below or send an email to [email protected].