Abortions are Down Across the Country -- but Why?

[kurth]

Why Abortions Are Down in America
Abortions are Down Across the Country -- but Why?

Jan. 17, 2008 — The conclusion of a sweeping new nationwide study released today that included interviews with every known abortion provider in the country is unambiguous. Abortions are decreasing.

The study, conducted by the Guttmacher Institute, which researches issues related to reproductive health and sexuality, found that in 2005, the U.S. abortion rate fell to 19.4 abortions per 1,000 women between the ages of 15 to 44, the lowest level since 1974. The total number of abortions also declined, to a total of 1.2 million in 2005, well below the all-time high of 1.6 million abortions in 1990.

But the study raises a fascinating and tricky question: Why? The researchers who conducted the study said they simply don't know, but they do have two theories. One reason could be that since people now have easier access to contraception -- including emergency contraception like Plan B -- there are fewer unwanted pregnancies. Another reason could be that there are also fewer abortion clinics.

"Eighty-seven percent of counties in the United States don't have an abortion provider," Rachel Jones of the Guttmacher Institute said. "Thirty-five percent of women live in those counties." Activists on both sides of this debate have their own theories, and everyone's claiming victory. Supporters of abortion rights say the decline is the result of the sex education and family planning they provide. Opponents say more women are coming to grips with the horror of abortion, in part because of the increasing numbers of so-called crisis pregnancy centers, which set up near abortion clinics and offer services like ultrasounds to convince women to keep their babies...

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4151508&page=1

[IndianaJones]

1. women making prayerful decisions? nt.

[porphyrian]

3. More like they aren't fucking broke men. -n/t

[IndianaJones]

5. lol.nt.

[smalll]

17. As a man, I can personally vouch for that claim. /nt

[Generic Brad]

2. Perhaps all only the legal ones are being counted

Or out of wedlock births have skyrocketed.

[postulater]

4. Well, I know I haven't had one recently

and neither has my wife.

[msongs]

6. it's gawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwd's will nt

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

7. Like un-employment

they (R) stop counting when the numbers get too high or because they just lie about the numbers like *'s approval numbers( I know his numbers are in the single digit...they got to be...)

[Kansas Wyatt]

8. Didn't the young Fundies start taking it up the ass instead?

Well... We have to count the new Fundie Fad of taking it up the ass.

Don't mean to start a religious war here.

[no_hypocrisy]

9. Far and above all the reasons why:

Eighty (87%) percent of all U.S. counties have no abortion provider and hence, access to legal abortion.

http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/issues/abortion/access-to-abortion/

[MorningGlow]

10. Could being a single mother carry less of a stigma these days?

I'm just guessing here, but the first thought that came to my mind when I saw this news story earlier today was that it seems more women are choosing to keep their babies, not out of any religious compulsion, but because it doesn't carry as much of a stigma as it used to. I don't have any stats on this, just my own (albeit likely skewed) observations...

[Elspeth]

11. Lack of access. There was a report on NPR today

Much of the nation outside of large metropolitan areas has no abortion providers. North Dakota, for example, had only one clinic where abortions were performed in for the entire state. (That one may be shut down now.) Alternatives to clinic abortions, like RU486, are being used mostly in cities.

My guess? Doctors and pharmacies in rural and Bible belt areas are terrified to provide abortion services of any kind.

What I would love to see stats on is:

1. Maternal suicide rates, especially of young, accidentally pregnant women and girls
2. Infant abandonment rates
3. Poverty rates for women in rural areas compared to 20 years ago.

[comradebillyboy]

12. Because Bill Clinton and Monica made the blow job a

respectable substitute for intercourse.

[KG]

13. probably the most positve thing to come from his presidency!

so to speak....

[Caoimhe]

14. Bush inspires all humans to abstain from sex

it's true. I can't think of an unsexier man than him. I go arid thinking of G. Walker Bush.

[BlueIris]

15. I hope that this study, including its methodology, is looked at very carefully.

Particularly because of the way it's being "addressed" by the mainstream media.

[cap]

16. infant mortality is up

we're number 47.

[Horse with no Name]

18. Little access to abortion providers, cost of abortion, access to contraceptives

But here is one piece of the puzzle. I would love to know how this ties to the economy and not having the funds for abortions.

http://www.cdc.gov/NCHS/pressroom/07newsreleases/teenbi...

Teen Birth Rate Rises for First Time in 15 Years

The teen birth rate in the United States rose in 2006 for the first time since 1991, and unmarried childbearing also rose significantly, according to preliminary birth statistics released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The statistics are featured in a new report, "Births: Preliminary Data for 2006," prepared by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, and are based on data from over 99 percent of all births for the United States in 2006. A final report to follow will have more detailed data.

The report shows that between 2005 and 2006, the birth rate for teenagers 15-19 years rose 3 percent, from 40.5 live births per 1,000 females aged 15-19 years in 2005 to 41.9 births per 1,000 in 2006. This follows a 14-year downward trend in which the teen birth rate fell by 34 percent from its recent peak of 61.8 births per 1,000 in 1991.

>>>snip
The study also shows unmarried childbearing reached a new record high in 2006. The total number of births to unmarried mothers rose nearly 8 percent to 1,641,700 in 2006. This represents a 20 percent increase from 2002, when the recent upswing in nonmarital births began. The biggest jump was among unmarried women aged 25-29, among whom there was a 10 percent increase between 2005 and 2006.