STEEP DROP IN UNINTENDED PREGNANCY IS BEHIND THE 2008-2011 U.S. ABORTION DECLINE

New research shows that the 2008-2011 abortion decline was driven by a steep drop in the unintended pregnancy rate, which in turn is most plausibly explained by improved contraceptive use. This new evidence has major implications for the U.S. abortion debate, argues a newGuttmacher Policy Review analysis. The findings not only affirm that contraceptive use is a highly effective way to reduce abortion incidence, but also strongly contradict explanations for the decline put forth by opponents of abortion rights.

A Guttmacher Institute study just published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) shows that the U.S. unintended pregnancy rate declined 18% between 2008 and 2011, to its lowest level in three decades. The NEJM study also finds a substantial drop in unplanned births and no change in the proportion of unintended pregnancies ending in abortion. The authors point out that contraceptive use improved during the same period.

See original/source content: http://www.guttmacher.org/media/nr/2016/03/02/gpr-jd.html