183,720 Babies Were Killed in Abortions Last Year in California

The state of California does not collect or publish abortion data through its Department of Public Health. The Centers for Disease Control’s 1996 abortion surveillance report was the last to include California data. In response to an inquiry from the Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI) in October 2019, the Department informed CLI that “California does not collect information on induced termination of pregnancy.” There are no statutory or administrative code requirements in California that require such information to be submitted by abortionists or published by the state.

In light of the state of California’s lack of reporting, CLI will summarize the existing 2024 abortion estimates from the Guttmacher Institute’s Monthly Abortion Provision Study (MAPS) and the Society of Family Planning’s (SFP) #WeCount initiative.[1] This article will also briefly outline some additional data points related to abortion provision, as collected by CLI.

Guttmacher’s MAPS details the number of abortions occurring in the state as estimated by its sample survey and mathematical models. Estimates include the number of abortions obtained at brick-and-mortar facilities and those provided via telehealth and virtual providers in the United States. In states where abortion is still legal, #WeCount’s data collects the same information using a slightly different methodology.

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California’s Health and Safety Code defines abortion as “any medical treatment intended to induce the termination of a pregnancy except for the purpose of producing a live birth” (CA HSC §123464).

In California, abortion is widely available throughout pregnancy because of the state’s ineffective gestational limit at viability. While the language of the law limits abortion after viability, the law contains a broad health (life and health of the mother) exception that doesn’t differentiate between physical and mental health, which, in turn, allows abortion throughout pregnancy for nearly any reason (CA HSC §12466). California passed a shield law in 2022 that allows California doctors to ship abortion drugs within the state and into other states, even those with pro-life laws.

2024 Guttmacher California Abortion Totals

Guttmacher estimated that 183,720 abortions were performed in California in 2024, of which 180,220 were performed on California residents. Non-residents obtained 2,750 abortions in the state and the residency was unknown for 750 abortions.[2] To see the breakdown of the states of residence for the 2,750 women who traveled to California to obtain an abortion, see below:

Guttmacher estimated that 180,070 abortions were performed in the state in 2023, meaning there was a 2% increase in abortions performed in California from 2023 to 2024. Of the 180,070 abortions performed, Guttmacher estimated that 71% (approx. 130,441) were drug-induced, and 7% (approx. 12,860) were from online-only organizations.[3]

In addition to the 180,220 abortions obtained by state residents in California, 110 California residents traveled to Nevada to obtain an abortion in 2024.

#WeCount’s 2024 estimated California abortion total (183,540) was very similar to Guttmacher’s. However, unlike Guttmacher, #WeCount breaks down the total by mode of provision. In 2024, #WeCount estimated that 165,030 of the abortions performed in California were performed in person, while 15,000 abortion drugs were mailed into or within the state by online-only organizations, and 3,510 abortion drugs were mailed within the state by hybrid brick-and-mortar facilities.[4]

Breakdown of Abortion Providers in California[5]

[1] While Guttmacher and SFP are the only available data sources for states that don’t publicly report abortion data through their respective health departments, the data from the two organizations are not without flaw. The biggest weakness with both projects’ data is the lack of reproducibility. No one except pro-abortion organizations like SFP and Guttmacher gets access to abortion totals reported by centers and organizations and the two organizations do not publish raw totals by organization or center. Because of the lack of reproducibility, there is no way to confirm the validity of the two projects’ data. However, while one might justifiably believe that the ideologies of the organizations putting forth these data are scientifically and morally wrong, the data, statistically speaking, is the best researchers have access to.

[2] The Guttmacher Institute notes that its monthly abortion totals by state are estimates and that each state’s estimate is within a range of uncertainty. This information is updated as of October 14, 2025. The overall 2024 occurrence total for California was taken from the project’s dashboard. The travel and residence data can be found here (State_Abortion_Travel_2024.csv). Note that the data on Guttmacher’s website may differ from that contained in its csv tables (which can be found here). It is likely that this is due to one of the sources being more frequently updated or due to rounding.

[3] The 2023 occurrence total for California can be found on the MAPS dashboard linked here. The data on drug-induced abortions and the percentage of online-only organizations can be found by downloading the Excel document titled “State Medication Abortion Online Only Provision” in the Previously Published Estimates folder for 2-26-25, found here.

[4] #WeCount’s data can be found here by downloading the “Report data tables [.xlsx]” document.

[5] Provider totals do not include hospitals or physician offices not listed in databases that compile abortion provider locations in different states, but do include Planned Parenthood locations, independent abortion centers, and hospitals/doctors’ offices included in databases like Abortion Finder and Ineedana. This information is updated as of October 14, 2025.

LifeNews Note:  The authors are researchers for the Charlotte Lozier Institute, where this article originally appeared.