The U.S. abortion rate falls to lowest level since Roe v. Wade
By Ariana Eunjung Cha
September 18, 2019 at 12:01 a.m. EDT
A new Guttmacher Institute report released on Wednesday outlines dramatic changes in the abortion landscape between 2011 and 2017. The U.S. abortion rate hit an all-time low — again. An unprecedented wave of 400 bills imposing restrictions on the procedure were passed by states. And medical abortions, which involve taking pills instead of undergoing a surgical procedure, became widely available.
The 48-page research document, which is used by policymakers and activists on both sides of the debate, provides detailed information by state and region about how American women access abortion.
There appears to be no clear pattern between efforts to ban or restrict abortion and the continuing decline in abortion rates, which has been going on for nearly 40 years. The declines were seen across regions and in states that are more supportive of abortion rights as well as those that are more restrictive.
“Antiabortion activists are going to try to take credit for this decline, but the facts don’t support their argument,” Rachel Jones, principal research scientist for Guttmacher, which supports abortion rights, said in a call with reporters.
The report estimated the abortion rate in 2017, the most recent year studied, at 13.5 per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44. That compares with 14.6 in 2014 and 16.9 in 2011 and is the lowest rate since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion through the landmark decision Roe v. Wade in 1973.
In total, 862,320 abortions took place in 2017 at health-care facilities. About 339,640, or about 39 percent, of those were medical abortions, which involve taking pills to induce miscarriage as opposed to traditional surgical abortion.
Guttmacher said it was impossible to pinpoint exactly what factors are driving the declines but said there has been a decline in pregnancies as well as “changes around abortion attitudes and stigma, contraceptive use, sexual activity, infertility and self-managed abortion.” Self-managed abortions are those that occur outside of health-care settings and might include the use of medication, herbs or other methods without the direct supervision of a medical professional.
Guttmacher noted that 32 states enacted restrictions during that time period, such as waiting periods, parental consent for minors, and requirements that patients do ultrasounds first. But nearly every state had lower abortion rates regardless of whether the state had passed any laws related to abortion access. And some states with new restrictions saw their abortion rates go up.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2019/09/18/us-abortion-rate-falls-lowest-level-since-roe-v-wade/
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