Abortion rate at lowest level since Roe v. Wade

The abortion rate in the United States has declined to its lowest point since abortion’s legalization in 1973, according to an annual report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and reported by WORLD News Service Dec. 8.

Forty-seven states reported 730,322 abortions in 2011 to the CDC (California, Maryland, and New Hampshire didn’t report their data). According to those reports, the abortion rate has fallen by 14 percent since 2002, to 13.9 abortions for every 1,000 women age 15 to 44. The abortion ratio also declined significantly: In 1980, 359.2 babies were aborted for every 1,000 births. In 2011, the ratio declined to 219 for every 1,000 births.

The WORLD News Service article, citing David Frum, senior editor at The Atlantic, said the decline may be due to an increasing number of Americans who view abortion as morally wrong (51 percent, according to a 2012 Gallup Poll) and a growing social acceptance of single motherhood. Randall O’Bannon, director of education and research for National Right to Life, said the drop in abortions could also be attributed in part to pro-life legislation requiring parental involvement, waiting periods, and abortion facility regulation.

The majority of abortions still involve unmarried women (85.5 percent) and women age 29 and younger (71.1 percent), the article stated. The report also revealed that the abortion rate remains higher among black and Hispanic Americans than among white Americans. The abortion rate among white women is 7.8 for every 1,000 births, compared to 16.1 for Hispanic women and 25.8 for black women.

Read the full article.