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Abortions up a third in Jacksonville since 2021, healthcare data shows

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — New data from the Agency for Healthcare Administration show abortions increased 31 percent in Duval County from July 2021 to July 2022.

In July 2021, 8.5% of Florida’s abortions (563) were done in Jacksonville. This July, it climbed to 11% (739).

“We saw a 30 percent increase of out-of-state patients over the summer as well. When we looked at it, it was May until August,” Laura Goodhue, Vice President of Public Policy for Planned Parenthood of Southeast & North Florida said.

She says recent data her organization has collected shows the same trend.

Back in June, the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade, taking away a woman’s constitutional right to abortion.

Now, Goodhue says more women from surrounding states with stricter abortion laws are coming to Florida for the procedure. This is despite the fact that Florida adopted more abortion restrictions this year.

“These are people that are in desperate situations,” Goodhue added.

The growing number of abortions in Florida concerns Andrew Shirvell with Florida Voice for the Unborn, a statewide, pro-life advocacy group.

“Florida is really an exception here in the south, and unfortunately we’ve become an abortion destination state,” he said.

Right now, women in Florida can get an abortion up to 15 weeks into pregnancy.

Shirvell wants lawmakers to hold a special legislative session to completely ban abortion in Florida.

“The 15-week abortion ban is not having much, if any effect,” he said.

Planned Parenthood reports it’s now seeing almost double the number of people coming in for reproductive services daily.


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