Today the Guttmacher Institute, originally the research arm of Planned Parenthood, released a report “Abortion Incidence and Service Availability in the United States, 2011” showing that abortion rates are at their all-time low since 1973. The March for Life Education and Defense Fund warmly receives this news that has so many positive ramifications for our culture, in particular for women.

A question that everyone is asking is to what the decrease can be attributed. Unfortunately, the report does not provide statistics (the data is not yet available) to be able to make conclusions about this. The authors do make statements tying the decrease to contraception use, yet do not support this with data. The authors were however, reluctant to tie the decrease in abortion to the 106 popular pro-life laws (parental consent/notification, health clinic standards, informed consent laws) enacted at the level of the states between the years of 2008-2011. In fact the authors appear to do everything possible to disconnect these positive, popular state laws to the decrease in abortion.  

One less positive part of the article is the increased use of chemical abortion, which is much harder on women physically and psychologically. The March for Life also takes serious issue with the underlying concept that access to abortion is equated with women’s health. We are pro-women and pro-babies. Abortion clinics with the health standards equivalent to veterinary clinics or beauty parlors are not good for women.