U.S. abortions dropped to their lowest rate since 1973's Roe v. Wade. Thanks, ObamaCare?
The number and rate of abortions fell to their lowest levels since abortion became legal nationwide with 1973's Roe v. Wade ruling, the Guttmacher Institute reported Wednesday. The research group, which supports abortion rights, said it counted 863,000 abortions carried out in the U.S. in 2017, down from 926,000 in 2014 and just over 1 million in 2011. The Guttmacher Institute is the most reliable count of U.S. abortions, because unlike the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it aims to tally all pregnancies terminated in the country.
Abortions fell in all areas of the country, with 57 percent of the drop in the 18 states, plus the District of Columbia, that did not enact any abortion restrictions, the Guttmacher Institute found. The 400 state laws restricting abortion were not a big factor in the decline, but the drop in pregnancies appeared to be significant. The birth rate also declined during the period studied, and a likely factor in both drops, the report said, is the increased accessibility of contraception since the Affordable Care Act required most private health insurance plans to offer no-cost birth control in 2011.
"If your priority is to reduce abortions, one of the best things you can do is make sure that women have access to high-quality, affordable, and effective methods of birth control," Alina Salganicoff, director of women's health policy for the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation, tells The Associated Press. The Guttmacher Institute report's data did not cover the flurry of expansive new abortion restrictions passed in Republican states since 2017, AP notes, nor the reduced access to contraction stemming from the Trump administration's changes to the federal Title X family planning program.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
US bans final type of asbestos
Speed Read Exposure to asbestos causes about 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Seattle Children's Hospital sues Texas over 'sham' demand for transgender medical records
Speed Read Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton subpoenaed records of any Texan who received gender-affirming care at the Washington hospital
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Afghanistan has a growing female suicide problem
Speed Read The Taliban has steadily whittled away women's and girls' rights in Afghanistan over the past 2 years, prompting a surge in depression and suicide
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US life expectancy rose in 2022 but not to pre-pandemic levels
Speed Read Life expectancy is slowly crawling back up
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Vallance diaries: Boris Johnson 'bamboozled' by Covid science
Speed Read Then PM struggled to get his head around key terms and stats, chief scientific advisor claims
By The Week UK Published
-
An increasing number of dog owners are 'vaccine hesitant' about rabies
Speed Read A new survey points to canine vaccine hesitancy
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Anger may be a powerful motivator for tough goals, new study suggests
Speed Read Keeping your cool might actually be less efficient than letting your anger drive you
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
A tropical skin disease is making the rounds in the US
Speed Read Leishmaniasis is endemic to the country and can cause ulcers and disfiguration
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published