Virginia law requires the Commonwealth to collect and report data on abortions that occur in the state. And while that data is usually sent to the Centers for Disease Control to be included in an annual report, the agency is no longer accepting that data and the annual report may not be released.
Back in December, the CDC sent a routine email to Virginia’s Department of Vital Statistics asking for the state’s abortion data. It’s been common practice since the agency started collecting the data in 1969. But when an email was sent from Virginia statisticians to the CDC asking for an update on the need for state data, the agency offered an unusual reply:
“At this time, CDC is pausing data analysis and will not be releasing an abortion surveillance report,” reads the unsigned email from the federal agency, acquired via a FOIA request to the Virginia Department of Health.
Requests to the CDC for clarity on the future of data collection were not returned.
Rae Pickett with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia said collecting abortion data helps the public understand how frequently the procedure occurs and what policy changes could be needed.
“It makes sense to analyze data to study data and to make changes and adjustments based on that data,” Pickett said.
Isaac Maddow-Zimet is with the Guttmacher Institute and manages their nationally recognized abortion database. He said as the Trump administration steps up attacks on abortion access, some states have actually stopped submitting data to the federal agency.
“Because they are increasingly concerned it will be used in a weaponized way or concerned about patient privacy,” Maddow-Zimet said.
Notably, Project 2025, the ultra-conservative plan to remake the federal government, specifically says abortion data must continue to be collected. And if it’s not? The plan’s architects suggested withholding state Medicaid funds.
That may be why the conservative Family Foundation of Virginia was also surprised to hear federal abortion data collection had ceased; “When it comes to the depopulation of the next generation of Americans, the state and federal governments have a vested interest in collecting this data,” Family Foundation head Victoria Cobb said in an email.
Maddow-Zimet noted the federal report was far from perfect, mostly because it ran on a two-year lag. But it was asking important questions Guttmacher doesn't, and he fears it will lead to less informed decision making.
"There's a long history of abortion reporting and abortion reports being used to stigmatize abortion providers or patients, but the CDC team has historically been extremely well-respected experts," Maddow-Zimet said, noting it was a consistent and dependable survey of the procedure.
There's also concern the CDC is being politicized. Maddow-Zimet fears what a return of the report could look like.
"I actually see the main danger is that changing, and if that report is started again, it will present data in a way that isn't grounded in science, or which seeks to make the case for restricting abortion care," Maddow-Zimet said.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
