Spontaneous All American 27372 Posts user info edit post |
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080119/ap_on_re_us/abortion_decline
If my Freakonomics reading is correct, then this is a leading indicator for a higher crime rate.
Discuss.
[quote] NEW YORK - The number of abortions in the United States fell to 1.2 million in 2005, down 25 percent from the all-time high of 1.6 million in 1990 and dropping the abortion rate to its lowest level since 1974, according to report issued Thursday. ADVERTISEMENT
The Guttmacher Institute, which surveyed abortion providers nationwide, said there likely were several reasons for the decline, including more effective use of contraceptives, lower levels of unintended pregnancy and greater difficulty obtaining abortions in some parts of the country.
The institute's president, Sharon Camp, noted that despite the drop, more than one in five pregnancies ended in abortion in 2005.
"Our policymakers at the state and federal levels need to understand that behind virtually every abortion is an unintended pregnancy, so we must redouble our efforts towards prevention, through better access to contraception," Camp said.
The Guttmacher Institute supports abortion rights, yet both sides in the debate on the issue consider its abortion surveys the most comprehensive in the United States because they encompass California, the most populous state. California state agencies do not collect abortion data to contribute to federal surveys.
According to the Guttmacher data, the number of abortions declined by 8 percent between 2000 and 2005, from 1.31 million to 1.21 million — the lowest total since the 1.18 million abortions tallied in 1976.
The 2005 abortion rate of 19.4 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 was the lowest since 1974, when it was 19.3.
Abortion rates were highest in Washington, D.C., New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Florida, Maryland and California. Rates were lowest in largely rural states: Wyoming, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Dakota, Idaho and Utah.
However, the report noted that the rates reflected the state in which the abortion occurred, thus including nonresident women who crossed state lines to get an abortion.
By region, the Northeast had the highest abortion rate, followed by the West, the South and the Midwest.
One pronounced trend in recent years is an increase in early medication abortion — notably through use of the RU-486 abortion pill. These types of procedures accounted for 13 percent of all abortions in 2005, more than double the level in 2001.
The report said 57 percent of abortion providers now offer medication abortion services, compared with 33 percent in 2001.
"Currently, more than six in 10 abortions occur within the first eight weeks of pregnancy," said Rachel Jones, lead researcher for the survey. "Medication abortion, which provides women with an additional option early in pregnancy, clearly reinforces this very positive trend." 1/19/2008 12:58:39 AM |
JoeSchmoe All American 1219 Posts user info edit post |
cheap and easy access to abortion by poor, immigrants, and/or unmarried women, should be a plank in the GOP party platform.
i mean, it just screams mainstream "family values" 1/19/2008 1:05:59 AM |
DrSteveChaos All American 2187 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | "If my Freakonomics reading is correct, then this is a leading indicator for a higher crime rate." |
I'm going to guess it's not quite that easy of a correlation. For example, what is the overall birthrate in comparison to the abortion rate? (i.e., are more kids being not aborted, or are more women using contraception?)
The Freakonomics thesis, as I understand it, is that more kids born to lower socioeconomic status homes (i.e., unwed, teenage mothers), the more juvenile delinquents you end up with. Of course, if contraception were to moot the need for an abortion... well, you see where I'm going.1/19/2008 1:17:32 AM |
Howard All American 1960 Posts user info edit post |
its the stuff making us less fertile... 1/19/2008 1:40:44 AM |
eyedrb All American 5853 Posts user info edit post |
I would hope this would continue as the morning after pill becomes more accessible. 1/19/2008 10:31:18 AM |
392 Suspended 2488 Posts user info edit post |
"Abortions for all!"
"boooo!"
"Very well, no abortions for anyone!"
"boooo!"
"Hmm....Abortions for some, miniature American flags for others!"
"yeaaa!" 1/19/2008 10:52:57 AM |
rallydurham Suspended 11317 Posts user info edit post |
Should we start building more prisons now or just go ahead and legalize marijuana? 1/19/2008 5:13:28 PM |
Mr. Joshua Swimfanfan 43948 Posts user info edit post |
What can I say? I've been laying low this year. 1/19/2008 5:20:23 PM |
hooksaw All American 16500 Posts user info edit post |
Juno
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0SKf0K3bxg 1/19/2008 5:55:52 PM |
kwsmith2 All American 2696 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | "If my Freakonomics reading is correct, then this is a leading indicator for a higher crime rate." |
No, because the current decline is by choice not by force. It may mean lower birth rates among the poor. Indeed, I think teenage pregenancies are at a multidecade low.1/20/2008 6:40:22 PM |
Vix All American 8522 Posts user info edit post |
Guess we are making more US Americans 1/20/2008 7:10:56 PM |
Kurtis636 All American 14984 Posts user info edit post |
We're going to need more US Americans if we want to continue with our war in the Iraq and such places. 1/20/2008 7:16:12 PM |
Vix All American 8522 Posts user info edit post |
Like the Asian Countries? South Africa? 1/20/2008 7:27:17 PM |
jwb9984 All American 14039 Posts user info edit post |
and such as 1/20/2008 7:51:23 PM |
RedGuard All American 5596 Posts user info edit post |
But breeding won't be fast enough. If we need troops that badly, we can recruit foreigners. Offer them a green card in exchange for three to five years. 1/21/2008 12:14:16 AM |
mrfrog ☯ 15145 Posts user info edit post |
Quote : | "give me your huddled masses to kick asses" |
1/21/2008 1:15:45 AM |
hooksaw All American 16500 Posts user info edit post |
'Juno' Oscar Ascent Complete With 4 Noms
Quote : | "Specialty division Fox Searchlight Pictures didn't release 'Juno' wide until late December, following a run on the festival circuit and an early, limited release that helped build buzz. It received a prolonged standing ovation when it premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, and ever since, the story of a quick-witted 16-year-old girl who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant has ridden waves of applause." |
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/22/AR2008012202212.html?nav=rss_artsandliving/entertainmentnews1/22/2008 8:03:52 PM |