Tough economic times may be responsible for America’s declining abortion rate, which is at a 10-year low.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported last week that the rate and number of abortions performed in the United States fell by 5 percent in 2009, the most recent year for which data is available. According to the CDC, this represents “the largest single-year decrease” for legal, induced abortions since 2000.
“The abortion rate for 2009 was 15.1 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 years and the abortion ratio was 227 abortions per 1,000 live births,” CDC reported. The report also states that slightly more than 16 percent of all abortions were medical abortions.
Abortion rates have been declining since the early 2000s, but the rate of decrease appears to have peaked at the height of the economic recession.
New state-level laws restricting access to abortion likely have not contributed to the decline. Many of these laws took effect within the last two years, and statistics for abortions performed throughout these years are not yet available.
CT has extensively reported on abortion, including the new pro-life surge as political gains by U.S. conservatives unleashed waves of anti-abortion legislation. CT also recently discussed the history of evangelicals and the pro-life movement.
