Inducing Demand for Abortion in the Absence of Medical Necessity: Planned Parenthood and Abortion Drugs

Abstract After decades of decline, the rate of induced abortions in the United States has turned upward. Because abortions are almost always elective, the wide regional variations in abortion rates and abortion demand suggest the role of various forms of supply-induced demand. We identify a primary organization (Planned Parenthood Federation of America) and a specific type of abortion procedure (abortion drugs) whose interaction is coincidental with the sharp increase in U.S. abortions.