New CDC studies show continued drop in U.S. abortion rate

Two recent reports from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are giving pro-lifers something to celebrate: Abortion rates continue to fall. But while the overall numbers show pro-lifers are gaining ground in the abortion fight, they also highlight the growing popularity of chemical abortions, procedures increasingly targeted by legislative regulatory efforts.

In the first study, the CDC used reports from 47 state health departments to show the abortion rate has dropped in 2012 to 13.2 abortions for every 1,000 women between 15 and 44 years old, about 31,000 fewer abortions compared to 2011, according to Randall O’Bannon, National Right to Life’s director of education and research.

“It gives us an idea of whether our message is getting out,” he said. “It clearly has.”

The second study examined pregnancy between 1978 and 2010, juxtaposing pregnancy rates and abortion rates. It relied on older abortion rate data to “provide a comprehensive picture of current reproductive trends,” according to the authors. The study found the pregnancy rate reached a record low in 2010 (98.7 per 1,000 women) while the abortion rate also reached a record low the same year (17.7 per 1,000 women).

Abortion advocates credit increasing access to contraceptives for declining rates, but pro-lifers point to broader causes, including state-level regulation and changing attitudes about life in the womb.

Since 1990, ultrasound technology has improved dramatically, with more women hearing their babies’ heartbeats through doctor visits and mobile apps. State legislation also has impacted the abortion debate nationally, a trend even abortion advocates recognize, O’Bannon said.

And while unintended pregnancies have increased, abortions have not, noted Anna Paprocki, staff counsel with Americans United for Life (AUL). According to the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute, the unintended pregnancy rate in 2008 increased to 54 for every 1,000 women, about 51 percent of pregnancies.

Though the abortion rate has declined overall, chemical abortions have increased, according to the CDC report. The abortion industry has pushed chemical abortions because they cost less and require fewer abortionists, O’Bannon said.

About two-thirds of the abortions reported to the CDC were performed at eight weeks gestation or earlier. And about 20 percent of all early gestation abortions were chemical abortions, the highest rate since the Food and Drug Administration approved mifepristone in 2000, O’Bannon said.

The chemical abortion increase “should be concerning,” Paprocki said. Some pro-life advocates already are gearing up to respond in 2016 legislative sessions. AUL has seen some interest in its model informed consent legislation, which requires abortion facilities to inform women that doctors can reverse chemical abortions within a certain time frame. Planned Parenthood’s current consent form only informs women they will undergo a surgical abortion if the chemical abortion fails, Paprocki said.

Overall, the CDC reports should both encourage and motivate pro-lifers, Paprocki said, because more women are choosing life: “We are winning.”