In Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decided that the right to privacy implied in the 14th Amendment protected abortion as a fundamental right. However, in the 2022 Dobbs decision, the Supreme Court decided that abortion is not federally protected and that it is up to states to decide.
This is the lowest rate ever observed in the United States. In 1973, the year abortion became legal, the rate was 16.3. The number reached its peak of 29.3 in 1981 and has steadily declined ever since.
