Sterilization Rates Rose Following Supreme Court Abortion Ruling

After the Supreme Court overturned the national right to abortion in 2022, surgical sterilization rates rose among women, according to new research.

The Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health case, in which the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and walked back the right to abortion in the United States, has had far-reaching impacts — including an increase in sterilization rates among those with female anatomy, a new study suggests.

The study, conducted by researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and published in JAMA, found that rates of surgical sterilization had been in decline since the peak in the 1970s, a time when other forms of contraception became more accessible. That is, until 2022, when rates began to climb once again.

Surgical sterilization refers to a form of sterilization that involves tying, cutting, or removing the fallopian tubes altogether to prevent pregnancy. It’s a highly effective contraceptive method — but it’s also irreversible.

Researchers discovered this trend by analyzing sterilization rates before and after Dobbs, looking at data from approximately 4.8 million women in 36 states and Washington, D.C.

They found that in the first month following the ruling, all states included in the study saw an increase in sterilization rates. Prior to the ruling, rates had remained stable for a year and a half. Throughout the following six months, surgical sterilization rose by 3% each month in states with abortion bans. A similar trend was observed in states that limited abortion access, though it was not statistically significant.

In contrast, researchers did not identify a further increase in states that continued to provide access to abortion.

“Our study suggests that the Dobbs ruling and subsequent state laws banning or limiting access to abortion may affect a woman’s choice of contraception,” said Xiao Xu, a health outcomes researcher who led the study, in a news release. “The findings also warrant attention because tubal sterilization is an irreversible method of contraception.”

According to The New York Times’ abortion ban tracker, 22 states have banned or restricted abortion earlier in pregnancy than the standard set by Roe v. Wade.

A total of 14 states currently have near-total abortion bans, while Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, and Iowa have bans that apply as of roughly six weeks into pregnancy.

States where abortion is banned entirely:

1. Alabama
2. Arkansas
3. Idaho
4. Indiana
5. Kentucky
6. Louisiana
7. Mississippi
8. Missouri
9. North Dakota
10. Oklahoma
11. South Dakota
12. Tennessee
13. Texas
14. West Virginia

Nebraska and North Carolina have banned abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy, Arizona has banned the procedure after 15 weeks, and Utah has banned it after 18 weeks. Montana and Wyoming have also introduced bans that are temporarily blocked by courts. Abortion remains legal in the rest of the country.