Report: Abortions Hit Decades Low, Declining To Lowest Rate Since Roe v. Wade
- 7 years ago
A newly released report indicates that abortions in the U.S. are occurring at the lowest rate since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
A newly released report indicates that abortions in the U.S. are occurring at the lowest rate since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, an independent research group, in 2014, pregnancy terminations occurred at a rate of 14.6 for every 1,000 women of childbearing age.
In both 1980 and 1981, the number was at a high mark of 29.3 per 1,000.
While few are questioning the statistics themselves, which were gathered from service providers across the nation, there is a decided split on what spurred the drop, notes The Guardian.
According to NPR, those in the anti-abortion camp suggest that restrictive laws enacted in a number of states have deterred, if not blocked, women from the choice.
Others cite the increased access to birth control as the driving force behind the drop.
The Institute’s research favors the latter camp, noting that "the evidence suggests that contraception...played a larger role in these most recent declines than new abortion restrictions. Well over 60% of the decline in the number of abortions occurred in states without new restrictions."
The report comes as a Republican-controlled government is intent on doing away with Obamacare which provides access to affordable contraceptive care.
A newly released report indicates that abortions in the U.S. are occurring at the lowest rate since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, an independent research group, in 2014, pregnancy terminations occurred at a rate of 14.6 for every 1,000 women of childbearing age.
In both 1980 and 1981, the number was at a high mark of 29.3 per 1,000.
While few are questioning the statistics themselves, which were gathered from service providers across the nation, there is a decided split on what spurred the drop, notes The Guardian.
According to NPR, those in the anti-abortion camp suggest that restrictive laws enacted in a number of states have deterred, if not blocked, women from the choice.
Others cite the increased access to birth control as the driving force behind the drop.
The Institute’s research favors the latter camp, noting that "the evidence suggests that contraception...played a larger role in these most recent declines than new abortion restrictions. Well over 60% of the decline in the number of abortions occurred in states without new restrictions."
The report comes as a Republican-controlled government is intent on doing away with Obamacare which provides access to affordable contraceptive care.