According to the new Guttmacher Report, the abortion rate among American women reached its lowest level in more than three decades in 2011, at 16.9 per thousand women, or 1.1 million procedures performed. This compares with 2008, which saw a rate of 19.4 per thousand and 1.21 million procedures performed. According to the Guttmacher, the peak abortion year was 1981, with a rate of 29.3 per thousand. This declining rate is a step in the right direction and would likely see further decreases if access to effective contraceptives is expanded.

The decline in the abortion rate between 2008 and 2011 is the next step in a more gradual downtrend observed since the peak in 1981. What is significant about this drop is that its decline of 2.5 per thousand in just three years time is more rapid than previously observed. The decline was mirrored almost exactly by a declining pregnancy rate.

Researchers believe the decline has a lot to do with the greater availability of nearly flawless contraceptives, like intrauterine devices. Other likely suspects contributing to the decline could be the weak economy and the lower birth rates observed in these recent years.

While the report did not provide detailed analyses of these trends, the report’s authors concluded that anti-abortion laws springing up around the country had only a small impact on women getting abortions during this period. The authors note that the states with the steepest declines, namely California, New Jersey and New York, are some of the states with the most liberal abortion laws.

It is true that the new laws and regulations definitely made getting abortions more difficult and costly, but probably did not decrease the number of procedures. Rather, the more long-term, reliable contraceptives that have higher upfront costs seem to be most responsible for the declines. This appears to be supported by data showing that the abortion rate remains higher among African American and Hispanic women than among white women, who are more likely to be able to afford these higher upfront costs.
Conservative groups dispute the conclusion that anti-abortion laws implemented have had little effect on the overall abortion rate, but still have to provide numbers to support this conclusion.

I agree with them that, in an ideal world, having an abortion rate of zero would be the end goal. But the unfortunate realities of many in our world mean that abortion is something that is not going away anytime soon. While every reasonable effort should be made to decrease the rate that does not intrude on Roe v. Wade, the key to a lower abortion rate right now is access to better contraceptives.

Greater access to and more effective contraceptives have been growing, and will continue to be bolstered as the Affordable Care Act is rolled out, with its provisions for expanding access.

Rapid progress is being made to drive down the abortion rate in this country, and it should continue in earnest. So why do we not look at what the Guttmacher study tells us and work toward increasing access to effective contraceptives for all women and not be preoccupied with trying to be the moral policeman in the bedroom?