Abortions in the United States Hit an All-Time Low, More Babies Saved From Abortion Than Ever

National   |   Micaiah Bilger   |   Nov 22, 2017   |   6:23PM   |   Washington, DC

Abortion numbers fell again in 2014, sinking to their lowest in more than four decades, according to a new Centers for Disease Control report.

The CDC reports 652,639 abortions were performed in the United States in 2013, a 2-percent decrease from 2014. Abortions are down 21 percent across the past decade.

The abortion rate – the number of abortions per 1,000 women of childbearing age – also dropped to 12.1, a 2-percent decrease from the previous year.

The CDC data is incomplete because the government does not require states to report abortion numbers. However, reports from the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute also indicate abortions are dropping across the U.S.

Last year when the CDC released its 2013 report, the AP noted that the CDC has not recorded a lower abortion rate since 1971, two years before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Roe v. Wade and its companion case Doe v. Bolton, which allowed for legalized abortion on demand through all nine months of pregnancy. In 1971, several states had legalized abortion; but it was not legal throughout the U.S.

This new report indicates that abortions have dropped even lower.

Notably, in the past decade, the report found that teen abortions dropped nearly 50 percent. Abortions also declined among older age groups, but the decreases were smaller. The highest abortion rates were among women ages 20 to 29.

More than 90 percent of abortions were performed by the 13-week gestation mark, while 1.3 percent (5,578 unborn babies) were aborted past 21 weeks gestation, according to the report.

The report also indicates that four women died from abortions in 2013, the most recent year for which data is available.

Abortion rates have been dropping steadily in the past decade as pro-lifers worked to pass a historic number of pro-life laws in states across the country. Pregnancy resource centers and sidewalk counselors also have been playing an integral role, offering pregnant and parenting families resources and information to empower them to choose life for their unborn babies.

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Earlier this year, the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute even admitted that pro-life efforts are contributing to the decline.

As is typical, Guttmacher researchers argued that one cause for the decline is improved access to birth control, which they said decreases the number of unplanned pregnancies and abortions. However, they also admitted in less than flattering terms that pro-lifers are succeeding in their efforts to save unborn babies and moms from abortion.

“… the wave of abortion restrictions passed at the state level over the last five years could also have contributed to the decline by making it more difficult for women to access needed services in highly restrictive states,” the report states.

The pro-abortion research group, considered to have the most comprehensive abortion numbers for the U.S., reported an estimated 926,200 abortions in 2014 and 958,700 in 2013. Those numbers are the lowest since 1975, two years after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Roe v. Wade and opened the doors to abortion on demand through all nine months of pregnancy.

Pro-lifers have been working hard to make abortion unthinkable by providing hope, assistance and information to moms and their babies.

Some of the state laws passed in recent years have helped to ensure that women are fully informed about their unborn baby’s development as well as their options, including material assistance for parents, before having an abortion. Other states cracked down on abortion facilities that were operating in unsafe conditions and putting women’s lives in jeopardy.

Grassroots efforts also have been instrumental in helping to save lives. These included more sidewalk counseling and outreach to moms and babies through organizations like 40 Days for Life, and pregnancy centers’ growing outreach to moms and babies in need.