Americans have another reason to give thanks this week. A new report from the Centers for Disease Control shows abortions have once again hit an all-time low as more babies are being saved from abortion than ever before.
The new CDC report covers the year 2018 and confirms America’s abortion decline continues. The report indicates the number of babies killed in abortions has declined 1.4% from 2016-2018 and the abortion rate — the percentage of women having an abortion or choosing life for their baby — has declined 2.% as more women opt against abortion.
The abortion decline was widespread. Not every state reports its abortion data to the CDC, but of the states that do 29 of them saw declines in their abortion rates. California, Maryland, and New Hampshire ddid not report abortion statistics to the CDC and, as a result, the actual number of babies killed in abortions is higher — usually estimated to be around 900,000 a year.
Looking at the data more historically,the number of babies killed in abortions has dropped 21.8% since 2009 and the abortion rate has declined 24.2 percent, making it clear that lifesaving efforts such as pregnancy centers across the nation have helped and supported more women as they give birth instead of having abortions. The abortion rate has declined over 50% since 1980.
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From 2009 to 2018, the total number of reported abortions, abortion rate, and abortion ratio decreased 22% (from 786,621), 24% (from 14.9 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44 years), and 16% (from 224 abortions per 1,000 live births), respectively.
Despite the decline and more babies saved, the number of children killed in abortions is still staggering, as the CDC indicated 619,591 babies had their lives ended by abortion in 2018. And despite the overall decline from its last report covering 2016 to this one covering 2018, the number of abortions in 2018 increased slightly by 1% from the 2017 levels..
The CDC indicates young women continue to have more abortions than other age groups.
In 2018, women in their 20s accounted for more than half of abortions (57.7%). In 2018 and during 2009–2018, women aged 20–24 and 25–29 years accounted for the highest percentages of abortions; in 2018, they accounted for 28.3% and 29.4% of abortions, respectively, and had the highest abortion rates (19.1 and 18.5 per 1,000 women aged 20–24 and 25–29 years, respectively). By contrast, adolescents aged <15 years and women aged ≥40 years accounted for the lowest percentages of abortions (0.2% and 3.6%, respectively) and had the lowest abortion rates (0.4 and 2.6 per 1,000 women aged <15 and ≥40 years, respectively). However, abortion ratios in 2018 and throughout 2009–2018 were highest among adolescents (aged ≤19 years) and lowest among women aged 25–39 years.
But the good news is “Abortion rates decreased from 2009 to 2018 for all women, regardless of age.”
The decrease in abortion rate was highest among adolescents compared with women in any other age group. From 2009 to 2013, the abortion rates decreased for all age groups and from 2014 to 2018, the abortion rates decreased for all age groups, except for women aged 30–34 years and those aged ≥40 years. In addition, from 2017 to 2018, abortion rates did not change or decreased among women aged ≤24 and ≥40 years; however, the abortion rate increased among women aged 25–39 years. Abortion ratios also decreased from 2009 to 2018 among all women, except adolescents aged <15 years. The decrease in abortion ratio was highest among women aged ≥40 years compared with women in any other age group. The abortion ratio decreased for all age groups from 2009 to 2013; however, from 2014 to 2018, abortion ratios only decreased for women aged ≥35 years. From 2017 to 2018, abortion ratios increased for all age groups, except women aged ≥40 years.
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Most all abortions involved killing babies between 7 and 13 weeks of age, but 9% of all abortions involved killing older babies past 13 weeks. And 1% of abortions killed babies at or after viability, meaning abortions killed over 6,100 viable babies.
The CDC also indicated that half of abortions now involve the dangerous mifepristone abortion drug while the other half remain surgical abortions. When it comes to later abortions, the CDC report shows more surgical abortions are done to end babies’ lives than abortions with the pills.
The abortion industry continues to target black women and, as a result, they continue having abortion at much higher rates than women of other ethnicity.
“Among the 31 areas that reported race/ethnicity data for 2018, non-Hispanic White women and non-Hispanic Black women accounted for the largest percentages of all abortions (38.7% and 33.6%, respectively), and Hispanic women and non-Hispanic women in the other race category accounted for smaller percentages (20.0% and 7.7%, respectively),” the CDC reports. “Non-Hispanic White women had the lowest abortion rate (6.3 abortions per 1,000 women) and ratio (110 abortions per 1,000 live births), and non-Hispanic Black women had the highest abortion rate (21.2 abortions per 1,000 women) and ratio (335 abortions per 1,000 live births).”
Abortion also continues to be used as a method of birth control as 23.9% of women having an abortion had previously had one abortion, 9.9% had previously had two abortions, and 6.4% had previously had three or more abortions.
Overall, the news is encouraging for pro-life advocates who are working to empower pregnant mothers to choose life and to restore legal protections to unborn babies.
From providing free diapers and ultrasounds to educating parenting students about their rights on campus, to sidewalk counseling to laws that protect unborn babies from brutal dismemberment abortions, pro-life leaders are making a difference in the lives of countless families every single day.
Not since the U.S. Supreme Court allowed abortion on demand in 1973 through Roe v. Wade have abortion numbers been so low. An estimated 62 million unborn babies have been aborted since the infamous case was handed down.
