Culture

U.S. women less likely to have abortions:rate for women ages 20-24 drops 32 percent

According to Fox News, the National Center for Health Statistics has released a new report about pregnancy and U.S. women. The report reveals an abortion rate that dropped significantly from 1990-2008, the most recent years measured. Called “Estimated Pregnancy Rates and Rates of Pregnancy Outcomes for the United States, 1990-2008,” the report measures the rates of pregnancy, abortion, and miscarriage in various age groups of women. From Fox News:

The report said that overall for all age groups in 2008, 65 percent of pregnancies ended in a live birth in 2008, 18 percent in an abortion and 17 percent in fetal loss. In 1990, 61 percent of pregnancies ended in a live birth and 24 percent were aborted, with 15 percent resulting in fetal loss.

While the report demonstrates that the abortion rate has dropped six percent among U.S. women overall (from 24 percent to 18 percent), the more telling statistic is that younger women are choosing life more often and rejecting abortion. Among women ages 20-24, the abortion rate dropped a hefty 32 percent.

Fox News reported that even a Guttmacher study demonstrated evidence of teen women rejecting abortion in droves:

A report by the Guttmacher Institute released in February, based on government statistics, showed the teen abortion rate was down 59 percent in 2008 compared with 1988. [Emphasis mine.]

It should be heartening to all who value life to realize that the tide is indeed turning. When our youth who grew up under abortion reject abortion themselves, there is hope. Though some of our generation’s mothers celebrated the choice of abortion, we, in large numbers, will learn from their mistakes and celebrate the choice of life. It is not that we value “choice” any less. Instead, we have seen that, when it comes to an innocent human being, there is only one choice to be made: the choice for life. Not all choices are created equal.

As a young woman who falls within this age range – I’m 24 and had my daughter at 23 – I rejoice at my fellow women’s rejection of abortion. Abortion is not healthy for us. It is death to our children and pain, loss, and cruelty to us. Abortion is not freedom, but enslavement. Life and truth bring the freedom we seek, and I will continue to proclaim this to my generation and to those who come after me.

Perhaps one reason the tide is turning is because of women and men who have stepped out of their comfort zones and have chosen to be there for our youth. They have given sacrificially and used their hearts and their hands to demonstrate that every life is worth saving. Please read their stories and the stories of the lives they have helped to save. Then, consider what you can do…

Amy Ford, Salina Duffy, and Embrace Grace (Look for more of their stories on Live Action News.)

Leading a Generation by Example: Matt and Sarah Hammit

Christa March and Standing With Teen Moms

Annette Dotterer and Colorado Family Life Center: Teaching Youth How to Parent

John Jansen and the Voice of a New Generation

Eric Whittington and Rock for Life

Kristan Hawkins and Students for Life of America

Watch this story, from a girl who had her baby while she was a teenager. She demonstrates the strength of our young women to choose life. She writes:

I want to start by saying that I strongly believed in pro-choice before the birth of my son. Not until I held him for the first time, was it even possible for me to understand what pro-choice really meant.

My son deserved to live, from the very moment of conception, and the reason why I’m so passionate about the subject is, not only did several people close to me encourage abortion, but it was also a very real consideration for myself.

   
Live Action on Facebook
  • peach

    I couldn’t help but notice you missed an important point:

    “Pregnancy rates for U.S. women in their early 20s fell nearly 18 percent
    from 1990 to 2008 and their abortion rate dropped by 32 percent, as
    those women delayed the decision to have a baby and used more effective
    birth control, said a government report released on Wednesday.”
    and
    “If the pregnancy rates are down, including both births and abortion
    rates, that would show more efforts to prevent unwanted pregnancies”

    It’s not that more women are choosing life, women are just getting better at preventing unwanted pregnancies in the first place.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Michelle-M-Williams/1021964754 Michelle M. Williams

       Strangely enough most of the bloggers on this site are against birth control even though this article is actually a glowing study for why birth control is so important and effective.

      I have never had an abortion and I am 27-years-old. It doesn’t make me “pro life”, it just means my birth control has been working as designed.

      • peach

         And it’s from Fox News too!

        • Kristiburtonbrown

          Ok, first, I am not opposed to birth control, as long as it’s not the type that kills a baby who has already been created.  If it only prevents pregnancy, it’s every couple’s own business imo.

          And I did not forget or fail to mention the point about birth control.  It’s simply not the point of my article.  I’m not discussing the rate of pregnancy among women which, as the article says, has dropped for young women.  I’m discussing the rate of abortion among women who are pregnant.  It’s really two separate issues.  

          The question that my article addresses is this:  once they are pregnant, what choices are young women making today?  And the answer is that FAR fewer are choosing abortion.  Life is the popular choice today.

          • http://www.facebook.com/people/Michelle-M-Williams/1021964754 Michelle M. Williams

             Or it could mean that they are choosing abortion less often because their pregnancy was planned and wanted thanks to their past use of contraception. If more pregnancies are planned and wanted than there will be less people choosing abortion regardless of political views on the subject.

          • Kristiburtonbrown

            Well, we’re not really talking about contraception here, so I’m not sure I see the point of debating that.  (Especially since I already stated I agree with the forms that prevent pregnancy.)  If you want to say women are choosing life because of contraception, fine.  The point is that, regardless of the reason (and I guarantee you that’s not the only one), they are choosing life.  And that’s a good thing for all of us.

          • Detroiter327

            We are discussing if the numbers can be extrapolated to prove if a larger majority of people believe “if every life is worth saving”. You cannot ignore the contraception part of study/debate, without that you cannot use it to infer if there is an increase in pro life people or contraception use.

          • Kristiburtonbrown

            Well, that’s certainly what some people are discussing in the comments, and I agree it’s worthwhile.  But my point in this article is to show that people ARE choosing life.  The reason why is worth discovering, but it’s a different issue.

          • Kristiburtonbrown

            Also, I think that polls/stats are showing that more people in the U.S. are actually choosing to be pro-life.  This is not just about greater or more contraception use.  The polls don’t exactly correlate – they don’t have the exact same age break down, etc. – but this article (http://liveactionnews.org/culture/new-demographic-gallup-poll-reveals-pro-lifers-gaining-ground-in-all-groups-except-the-nonreligious/) shows that the pro-choice position continues to lose ground in every surveyed group, except for the nonreligious.  Thus, it’s a lot easier to infer that more people are indeed choosing to believe that every life is worth saving.

          • Regina Barkley

            Kristi, thanks again for this article! I am 42 and recently found out I was pregnant with a totally unplanned plregnancy.  We were “done” with our 10 and 12 year olds.  Of course abortion wasn’t even a nanosecond of a thought and never would cross my or my husband’s mind…but I’ve used your resources at the bottom of your article to show my two children what the different stages of development of the their little brother or sister are. SO COOL.  Life is so amazing.  My husband’s college girlfriend aborted their baby back in 1991 and it really affected him. He is so grateful to be able to give life now.

          • Kristiburtonbrown

            Wow, so great it could help you, Regina! That must be fun for your kids =)  It sounds like all of you make up a wonderful family!  Proud of you guys.

          • http://profile.yahoo.com/D6EXE5VWY2NNPOXEO6UHFJAQ5I Danielle

            Your assumption that this has to do with contraception isn’t supported by any evidence.  It could be due to many factors which doesn’t discredit the fact that less pregnant women are having abortions.

          • http://www.facebook.com/people/Michelle-M-Williams/1021964754 Michelle M. Williams

            If a pregnancy is unplanned as opposed to wanted there is much more of a likelihood of abortion. There is a lot of evidence that the pregnancies that people are experiencing are much more likely to be wanted (hence the average age of motherhood has gone up dramatically).

          • grdawg

            I’m not sure I really see your point, unless you’re just stressing that it’s good for women to want their babies and plan their pregnancies.  Pro-lifers don’t disagree that it’s good to have wanted pregnancies.  (We think all babies are equally valuable of course, “wanted” or not.  There’s always someone out there who does want them.)  But regardless of how much you think these pregnancies are all wanted it doesn’t dispute the point that women are still choosing life more often than abortion.

          • Detroiter327

            Actually if you ignore the contraception part of the debate, it dosent show that at all. If a large portion of these women were using “abortifacient” birth control it would actually prove the opposite wouldnt it? 

          • grdawg

            I see your point, but there’s a whole different problem when you talk about “abortifacient” birth control and abortion itself. A lot of women still have no clue that some forms of birth control can cause their baby to die.  Pretty much everyone knows that abortion ends a life.  So, I actually believe that women could be pro-life, think they’re choosing life, and have simply not researched their birth control.  Obviously, we should change this and people should get the right info, but it doesn’t mean those women aren’t choosing life.  They may just truly have not studied the issue and the info isn’t “out there” as much as abortion info is…

          • Detroiter327

            The information is out there and most people dont agree with it. 

          • http://www.facebook.com/people/Michelle-M-Williams/1021964754 Michelle M. Williams

             Again, that’s obviously because women are having less unwanted pregnancies than in the past. Their families are also smaller so they know they can feed their kids. Stop thinking that it has anything to do with women’s ideological positions. I have no qualms with abortion at all and I don’t think there should be any restrictions. But I have extreme doubts that I would ever need one simply because my birth control has been highly effective and if I ever do decide to be a mother it will be on my terms. It has nothing to do with “choosing life”.

          • Kristiburtonbrown

            I think you’d like to believe it has “nothing to do with ‘choosing life.’”  But the numbers don’t prove that’s true.  Check out the poll discussed here http://liveactionnews.org/culture/new-demographic-gallup-poll-reveals-pro-lifers-gaining-ground-in-all-groups-except-the-nonreligious/.

          • http://www.facebook.com/people/Michelle-M-Williams/1021964754 Michelle M. Williams

             A lot of those polls depend on how the question is asked. Most people are not very politicized on either spectrum on this topic. If you ask people “are you pro life” most are going to say “yes” because they don’t see themselves as pro death. It doesn’t mean that more people feel that abortion should be illegal under all circumstances. Only a minority of people feel that way

          • Kristiburtonbrown

            Uh…most people don’t call the other side “pro death”.  It’s commonly called pro-choice.  So actually, a majority of people don’t want to associate themselves with that label.  And unless you have numbers, stats, polls, or evidence on your side, it doesn’t do much good to simply complain against the evidence that’s out there when you don’t like it.

          • http://www.facebook.com/people/Michelle-M-Williams/1021964754 Michelle M. Williams

             I’m answering here so my text doesn’t just look like a string of letters.

            My point is that most people are not politicized on the issue and don’t really know what the labels of pro choie and pro life mean. If you ask your average person, leading with “are you pro life” most people are going to say yes due to the wording and how the question is asked.

          • Lararomont

             Or it could mean that they are educated on fetal development now too. It feels a lot less feminist to many youth now that they know they are killing a girl.  I agree that they’re are less unplanned pregnancies due to contraception (my husband had a vasectomy), but disagree on that being the only change and advancement in society since the 80′s. 
            It is possible you are both right, but it is impossible to tell what changed in the majority of those pregnancies.  Are the youth much more involved in the pro-life movement in High schools and universities? Yes. Have we had great advancements in sonograms and? Yes  Has our knowledge  advanced by science and technology teaching us that the baby feels pain or is aware of their twin in the womb? Yes.
            Is contraception widely practiced? Yes. Were the majority of those pregnancies planned?  Maybe,  but you don’t have the evidence for that. You just assumed. We can’t know unless that question was in the poll. You are doing the same thing you’re criticizing the article for. 

            The real question you should ask yourself is why the rates have dropped in the younger women, but not as much in the older age grps, even the slightly older (as the article states). If contraception is widely available but there has been a more dramatic decrease in abortions by the younger generation, why isn’t this the same in the older generation if contraception is equally available to both (if not more available to the older women).  This is where Kristi’s article becomes the more logical conclusion.  Unless you are arguing that the older generation can’t get contraception or that the girls in their 20′s with less economic/academic support are planning their babies more often  than those who are 29.

          • http://www.facebook.com/people/Michelle-M-Williams/1021964754 Michelle M. Williams

             The older women want to have kids. There has been an increase in births to older women, especially over 40.

          • Lararomont

             ”While the pregnancy rates are down for teens and women in their 20s,
            they are up for women in their 30s and 40s, the report found. That is
            consistent with previous research.”

          • http://www.facebook.com/people/Michelle-M-Williams/1021964754 Michelle M. Williams

            Which would support that the pregnancies that do happen are planned.

            My mother had me when she was 33-years-old and I was very much planned and wanted. These older women are not getting abortions because they wanted to be mothers when they were stable. They are not just getting “knocked up” like what used to happen before contraception was widely used.

          • Regina Barkley

            Kristi,
            Amazing article. Thanks for the information!  This is truly wonderful news!  Thank God for this new generation of women that sees the truth in the lies told to them by the previous generation. Yay for our daughters!  With ultrasound technology how can they possibly deny the truth now?  As for responding to this Michelle person why bother?  Best to let trolls like her alone.  Responding to these activist women only seems to empower them to keep spewing. 

          • http://www.facebook.com/people/Michelle-M-Williams/1021964754 Michelle M. Williams

             Because I am not a troll. I have probably been visiting this site longer than you. I am also a sexually active, fertile female and could get an abortion any time I want. If you want a bunch of old women who are past reproductive age and men sending out raw raws more power to you because they do not matter.

          • Anonymous

            Oooh, what an insult! She called you an “activist woman”…I think when they call you a “troll”, it means you’re getting to them. Keep up the good work! :-)

          • http://www.facebook.com/people/Michelle-M-Williams/1021964754 Michelle M. Williams

             Anyone you disagree with is not a “Troll” but you admit that you can’t handle dissenting views.

    • https://www.facebook.com/ProLifePagans Pro Life Pagans

      The abortion rate is dropping faster than the pregnancy rate, so a greater percentage of pregnant women are choosing life.

  • Pingback: U.S. Women Less Likely to Have Abortions: Rate for Women Ages 20-24 Drops 32 Percent | Live Action News & Opinion | A mí, háblame en Cristiano

  • Robin

    I would support more restrictions on abortion if parenthood was actually made affordable. Instead of implementing parent-friendly policies, we treat parenthood as punishment for having sex. Like it’s more important to punish someone than it is to make sure their children have adequate food, shelter and medicine. We obviously don’t care about children. So why should I care if women have abortions?

    • Kristiburtonbrown

      I’d disagree with you there.  I’ve personally volunteered for a non-profit program that worked with the government to provide startup housing funds for families.  And this program was specifically designed for families – you had to either be pregnant or have a child to qualify.  While at this program, I learned about many other types of government aid for people who are having a hard time affording food, shelter, medicine, etc. for their children.  While I’m a political conservative, I do not disagree with all of these types of aid.  In fact, I think certain people should get more of it.  We need to find a way to rid the system of abuses and a way to get the info about these programs out to the people who really need it.  But it is out there.  

      Oh, and you should care if women have abortions because it’s the killing of an innocent human life.  Living in poverty is better than dying, and not all of these children are “condemned” to poverty anyway.  Many make their way out, with their families.  And of course, if a parent really doesn’t want to raise their child in poverty, adoption is a much better answer than death.

    • http://twitter.com/CalFreiburger Calvin Freiburger

      Group A isn’t cared for enough in this country, therefore we shouldn’t care more about Group B?

  • Pregnant Help Now

    Are you or someone you know facing an unplanned pregnancy? Please check out our new and improved site. There are tons of resources and support available for pregnant women that you may not even know about. We are dedicated to assisting women with unplanned pregnancies find the resources and support they need. Anything from medical care, material assistance, housing, child care, and other necessities a new mother might need are available…
    http://www.facebook.com/pregnanthelpnow
    http://www.pregnanthelpnow.com

  • Paulo Mendonça

    Wanna stop the criminalization of abortion on the world? So please give a LIKE on brazillian’s movement on facebook in favor of abortion’s legalization, it will only take 5 seconds.
    The link is: facebook.com/abortoeumdireito
    Obrigado, my friends!