Home Medical Malpractice Abortion Rate Hits All-Time Low

Abortion Rate Hits All-Time Low

Abortion Rate Hits All-Time Low

Introduction

Recent reports have indicated that the abortion rate in the United States has reached an all-time low. This news has sparked conversations about the reasons behind this decline and the implications it may have for women’s reproductive health. In this article, we will explore the current state of the abortion rate in the US and discuss possible reasons for this decline.

Abortion Rates in the US

According to the Guttmacher Institute, which tracks abortion statistics, the abortion rate in the United States has reached its lowest point since the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973. In 2017, there were 13.5 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age (15-44 years old), which is a 20% decline from 2011.

Possible Reasons for the Decline

There are several potential reasons for the decline in the abortion rate, including:

Access to birth control: Increased access to birth control methods, such as long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) and emergency contraception, may be contributing to a decrease in unintended pregnancies and, therefore, a decrease in the need for abortions.

State-level abortion restrictions: In recent years, many states have passed restrictive abortion laws, such as waiting periods and mandatory counseling, which may have deterred some women from seeking abortions.

Education and awareness: Public education campaigns about preventing unintended pregnancies and increasing access to comprehensive sex education may have contributed to the decline in the abortion rate.

Economic factors: The economic downturn in recent years may have led some women to delay or reconsider having children, leading to a decline in unintended pregnancies.

Implications for Women’s Reproductive Health

While a decrease in the abortion rate may be seen as positive news by some, others are concerned about the potential ramifications for women’s reproductive health. Critics argue that restrictive abortion laws and limited access to reproductive healthcare, such as birth control and prenatal care, could have negative consequences for women and their families.

It is important to note that the decline in the abortion rate does not necessarily mean that women are no longer seeking abortions or that the need for access to safe and legal abortions has diminished. Rather, it may reflect a complex set of factors that have led to a decrease in unintended pregnancies and a shift in women’s reproductive health choices.

Conclusion

The news that the abortion rate in the United States has reached an all-time low is a complex issue that highlights the need for continued access to reproductive healthcare and comprehensive sex education. While there are a variety of factors that may be contributing to this decline, it is important to ensure that all women have access to the resources and support they need to make informed decisions about their reproductive health.


Questions about the impact of current abortion and sex education laws remain after a new CDC report indicates that abortion rates are at an all time low.  In 2009, the year for which the data has recently been compiled, 784,507 abortions took place in American hospitals and abortion clinics.  This represented a five percent decrease from the previous year.  That decrease represents a record low in abortion rates in the United States.

There are several potential reasons for this decline.  One of the reasons, which the CDC mentions in its report, is that the percentage of women who are using more effective forms of contraception are going up.  Many more women report that they are using long-term contraceptives like implants, the NuvaRing, or the Mirena IUD.

Because these are the results of a survey from 3 years ago, they don’t represent effects of recent abortion laws or the provisions of the Affordable Care Act that grant free contraceptives to women.  If the record low abortion rate is due to better access to high-effectiveness forms of contraception, it is likely that the ACA will continue to lower the abortion rate overall.

However, there are other reasons that abortions may be becoming less common.  The CDC notes that it appears more women are deciding to carry their unintended pregnancies to term rather than abort.  While this could represent a change in overall willingness to obtain an abortion, it could also be due to increasingly severe abortion restrictions that have decreased the overall availability of abortions in many states.

Most U.S. states have fewer abortion clinics today than they did in the 1980s, which means that abortion services are difficult to come by, especially for women who live far from major city centers and lack transportation.  In several U.S. states, only one abortion clinic remains open.  Some of these clinics are open only part-time, flying in doctors from other states because the area around the clinic is hostile to abortion doctors and nurses.

Because of these restrictions to access, it’s difficult to gauge how much of the decrease in abortion totals should be attributed to better use of contraceptives and how much abortion restricting laws are responsible.

Some of the laws that have recently begun restricting abortion access in the United States include laws prohibiting abortions after 20 weeks because of much-maligned research pertaining to fetal pain.  There have also been restrictions attacking abortion clinics with everything from stricter building codes that require multi-million dollar remodels to statutes requiring doctors to give information the federal government says is misleading to pregnant women seeking an abortion.

However, there is one unquestionable bright spot in the CDC report.  For yet another year, the United States has recorded zero maternal deaths from illegal abortions.  Only 12 deaths resulted from the nearly 800,000 abortions performed legally in the United States.  This is a number that represents a significantly lower mortality rate than the maternal mortality rate of mothers who choose to carry their pregnancies to term, and indicates how safe abortion is in legal settings in the United States.

Sources: cdc.gov, washingtonpost.com