Abortion rate continues steady decrease
by Anna
Web Correspondent
Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota Action Fund
So everyone should be happy to hear that, according to a recent study by the Guttmacher Institute, the abortion rate is indeed falling. Since the abortion rate reached its height in 1981, when it numbered 29.3 per one thousand women, it has been consistently declining; in 2005 19.4 abortions were performed per one thousand women, stationing the abortion rate at the lowest point we've seen since 1974. The total number of abortions was 1.2 million, reduced from 1.3 million in 2000.
Many anti-choicers think the statistics represent a victory for their policies, claiming that their method of decrying abortion and toting abstinence-only education is doing its job. The pro-choice movement is not so sure...nor is the Guttmacher Institute. Sharon L. Camp, president and CEO of the Guttmacher Institute, spoke out in support of comprehensive sex education as a way to continue this downward trend, saying "Behind virtually every abortion is an unintended pregnancy, so we must redouble our efforts towards prevention, through better access to contraception."
The New York Times editorial staff came to the same conclusion, pinpointing eight jurisdictions that accounted for about two thirds of the decrease in abortions. These were California, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Washington State. These states, the editorial staff says, are notable for their liberal abortion laws, which have few or no restrictions, and their willingness to overlook the federal government's push for abstinence-only education in favor of comprehensive sex education. (It's interesting to note that California, New Jersey, and Oregon were recently named three of the most pro-choice states by Americans United for Life. None of the eight states named above were mentioned in their list of most anti-choice states.)
Another notable finding was that more and more women use the medication RU486 mifepristone instead of having a surgical abortion. Women can use RU486 within the first 63 days of a pregnancy, usually taking it as a pill, although injections and liquid medications are also available. The Guttmacher study found that 57 percent of abortion providers offered RU486 in 2005, whereas the percentage was only 33 in 2001, and RU486 accounted for 13 percent of all abortions in 2005. Easier access to the drug has led to earlier (and therefore safer) abortions; about six in ten abortions now take place within the first eight weeks of pregnancy.
Despite all these advances, we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that about one in five pregnancies is still terminated-which means that a lot of unwanted pregnancies are still occurring. In an ideal world, everyone would know how to prevent such a dilemma and would act on their knowledge, and the more we push comprehensive contraceptive education, the closer we can come to reaching this goal. In the meantime, it is vital that we keep drugs like RU486 on the market-even expand their availability-and minimize abortion restrictions so that women can have the option of safe solutions.
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