Abortion rates have reached their lowest since 1974, according to a new study of U.S. abortion clinics released by the Guttmacher Institute. The study found that both abortion rates and the total number of abortions have declined, though one in five pregnancies ends in abortion.
In 2005, the abortion rate declined to 19.4 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44, according to the study, after peaking in 1981 at a rate of 29.3 per 1,000 women. The total number of abortions dipped to 1.2 million in 2005, from its all-time high of 1.6 million in 1990.
The Guttmacher Institute is an independent research firm that specializes in sexuality and reproductive health. It was formerly a division of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The study cited a possible explanation for the decrease in abortions: early nonsurgical abortion medications, such as the French pill RU-486, that are more readily available and used than ever before.
Fifty-seven percent of abortion providers now offer medication abortion services; only 33 percent did in early 2001. Medication abortions accounted for 13 percent of all abortions in 2005.
“Currently more than six in 10 abortions occur within the first eight weeks of pregnancy, and almost three in 10 take place at six weeks or earlier,” said Rachel Jones, lead researcher. “Medication abortion, which provides women with an additional option early in pregnancy, clearly reinforces this very positive trend.”
Anti-abortion groups, however, found little to cheer about.
“It is no less tragic, each life is precious,” said Randall K. O’Bannon, director of education and research for the National Right to Life Committee. “If we are down to 1.2 million abortions, that’s still 1.2 million babies being killed.” O’Bannon added that women are only trading one set of risks in for another when they opt for early medication abortion over surgery.
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