U.S. Abortion Rate Down Sharply; Restrictive Laws Not The Reason

[Malmsy]

U.S. abortion rates are declining nationwide, and the legislative stampede to get a precedent-overturning case to the Supreme Court isn't a contributing factor, according to a new study released Wednesday by the Guttmacher Institute. The number of abortions nationwide declined 19 percent from 2011-2017.

Though 32 state legislatures passed 394 new restrictions on abortion from 2011-2017, abortion rates also fell in states with less restrictive laws, the reproductive health and rights research group said in its report. Instead, the biggest reason for the decline is that women aren't becoming pregnant as often.

If abortion restrictions had been the force behind the abortion decline, birth rates would have increased, the Guttmacher Institute said. Instead, birth rates were down in every nearly every state.

While the flurry of anti-abortion legislation isn't driving down the procedures, restrictions on a medical choice that has been legal for U.S. women for 46 years can "still inflict serious harm," Elizabeth Nash, a senior policy manager at Guttmacher, said in an emailed statement.

"Underneath the national trend are the individual struggles and burdens that anti-abortion policymakers are creating for people within their states," Nash said. "We need policies that ensure patients can obtain and afford reproductive health care from contraception, to pregnancy to abortion."

https://patch.com/us/across-america/u-s-abortion-rate-down-sharply-restrictive-laws-not-reason

[Farmer-Rick]

1. Fewer pregnancies fewer abortions

Every developed nation in the world is seeing drops in birth rates. Abortion rates are falling with them.

Antiquated restrictions on a woman's womb and the flurry of bizarre religious devotion to the unborn are obsolete. The abortion pill and easy access to it throughout the rest of the world makes an abortion a swallow away. Let women decide for themselves how many children to have or Not have and with the decline in birthrate, they seemed to have decided.

Abortion restrictions are obsolete and useless when all you need do is take a pill.

[Ilsa]

2. I wonder how much fertility possibly declining

has to do with this. My understanding is that men's fertility is declining. Not certain about women's.