Abortion Is On The Decline
“Between 2000 and 2005, the last year in the study by the Guttmacher Institute, the number of abortions performed yearly dropped from 1.3 million to 1.2 million, the fewest since 1974. The proportion of pregnancies ending in abortion also declined significantly.”
I am 100% pro-life. I used to be extremely vocal about it. I was hard core and fought for my cause often at the expense of others. I stepped on a lot of people’s toes. I looked only at the issue and not at the people. Somewhere along the line God softened my heart and helped me to see with Christ’s eyes. I have always been on the Republican side of the fence (and still am) and have always been fairly ignorant to the view of the “other side.” It was when I began working with a bunch of pro-choice Democrats (gasp!) that I started to see things differently.
I still believe that abortion is murder. I believe life begins at conception and abortions and miscarriages are tragic, but now I see that it is a delicate issue involving real people and must be handled carefully. My co-workers were pro-choice but they were not evil people (sadly, this was a big revelation to me). They were extremely caring people and to them a pro-choice stance meant they were advocating for scared young women who were not prepared to care for a child.
I would love it if abortion was illegal but I don’t think that solves the problem. The problem is unwanted pregnancies. Whether you are pro-life or pro-choice, I’m sure you can agree on that. What we all need to do is put our differences aside and work together to prevent unwanted pregnancies. According to this article, many are already doing that, and it’s working!
“Almost two-thirds of the decline in the total number of abortions can be traced to eight jurisdictions with few or no abortion restrictions — New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois, California, Oregon, Washington State and the District of Columbia. These are places, notes the Guttmacher Institute’s president, Sharon Camp, that have shown a commitment to real sex education, largely departing from the Bush administration’s abstinence-only approach. These jurisdictions also help women avoid unintended pregnancies by making contraception widely available.
“Still, in 2005 about one in five pregnancies ended in abortion, emphasizing the need for a national emphasis on better sex education and access to contraception.”
One in five. That is astounding to me. Yet there are states that are taking action and it’s proving to be effective. If this kind of news got half as much media attention as the struggling economy and so-called “recession,” maybe we could get the other 42 states on board and really put a dent in that statistic!
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January 28th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Good point. We all know that the news media is just about sensationalism. Thanks for bringing this to light. And thanks for sharing your view on how to talk to people about the issue.
January 28th, 2008 at 11:29 am
[...] on the Decline I was reading another blog and the article was worth repeating - so I mention it here. Synopsis is that Abortion as of 2005 [...]
January 28th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
It’s really eye-opening to see through the hurting eyes of the women who are faced with this terrible decision. I’m 100000% pro-life, but you’re right - that doesn’t take away from the tremendous fear, pain and guilt that women deal with. In most cases (I believe) these women really feel that it’s their only option. As a believer with a passion for life, I believe the answer is NOT with “better sex education” (being a former abstinence-educator myself) but instead we need to minister to the broken hearts that abortion leaves in it’s wake, and of course by ministering to pregnant women so they can see that life is precious, adoption is a wonderful thing and that they can make better choices in the future.
January 28th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
I believe it’s both. We need to minister to pregnant women AND we need to teach young people. My idea of effective sex education does not involve condoms and birth control, it involves teaching kids how to abstain. To say that sex before marriage is a bad idea is such an understatement. If only young people could really grasp all the emotional and physical ramifications of it and had the tools to know how to say no and keep away from temptation, I believe many unwanted pregnancies could be avoided.
January 28th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
I agree with abstinence education! Giving kids the tools they need to make better choices and the REASONS to make better choices instead of lowering standards is ideal. Unfortunately when we talk about “sex education” in our culture it means just that - not necessarily abstinence education. And there is a HUGE difference between “abstinence based” education and “abstinence only” education.
January 29th, 2008 at 12:24 am
1) I’m always wary of simplistic answers to complex problems. I seriously doubt that mere education and free condoms created the decline. That seems like a political conclusion, not a realistic one. Over the decades since Roe, I’ve noticed many trends:
-Abortion doctors are as rare as hen’s teeth, and abortion technique has been dropped from many medical schools. They are viewed as the bottom feeders of the medical world.
-Churches have had a continued and effective assault on the image of abortion, turning it from a ‘choice,’ to murder.
-Legislators have been successful in trimming some of the rules around abortion, and its freedom to operate.
-Adoption has become easier, and is more of an option for pregnant moms.
-Planned Parenthood, once a reputable non-profit, is now seen as an abortion mill. Donations have declined, centers have closed, and abortions are more difficult to obtain.
-The medical community has enlightened us over the years about the true nature of the fetus, complete with pictures in the womb, pain responses, and the ability for the fetus to survive when premature. Basically, its not a ‘blob,’ its a baby.
-The social stigma of abortion has increased. In the 70’s you might be viewed as ‘heroic’ for choosing abortion. Not any more.
-Medical data is out concerning long term effects of abortion, including the physical, as well as the psychological.
-Education has increased, but I think abstinence education has been effective as well.
-Birth control has become more available and varied, with pills, patches, IUDs, and condoms available, making it easier to use them. Vasectomies and tubiligations have contributed to future pregnancies being eliminated.
-And the largest reason: abortion doesn’t work. In 1973 it was sold as our salvation from poverty. Once we get rid of all those unwanted babies, who grow up in horrible homes, and fill our ghettoes and prisons, then we’ll be closer to that Great Society President Johnson talked so much about. We really believed that. But after 35 years and milllions of abortions, we have discovered abortion to be a false promise.
Although the reasons for the decline are many, it is clear that abortion is changing in the nation’s eyes.
I agree, we need to have compassion for the mother-in-trouble. I think adoption is an option that can still be expanded.