New contraceptive methods may have helped reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies in the United States as the number of abortions performed in the country has hit a 40-year low.
A study by the non-profit sexual health organization Guttmacher Institute, showed that the rate of abortion in the U.S. hit its lowest since 1973, when pregnancy termination rate was at 16.3 per 1,000 women.
In 2011, only 16.9 abortions were carried out for every 1,000 women between the ages 15 and 44, which was way lower than the 29.3 abortions per 1,000 women in 1981, when abortions reached its peak. The number of abortions carried out in 2011 also declined to 1.1 million from the estimated 1.21 million in 2008 and this coincides with a decline in pregnancy rates.
Although the study, which was based on a survey from all known abortion providers in the U.S., did not analyze the reason for the trend, the researchers think the growing use of foolproof contraceptive methods, as well as the economic uncertainly that has been brought about by the recession, resulted in fewer pregnancies, births and abortions.
"Contraceptive use improved during this period, as more women and couples were using highly effective long-acting reversible contraceptive methods, such as the IUD," said study lead author Rachel Jones, from the Guttmacher Institute. "Moreover, the recent recession led many women and couples to avoid or delay pregnancy and childbearing."
Between 2011 and 2013, many states in the U.S. have also implemented laws that made it harder for women to undergo abortion but the researchers do not think this has caused the dip in abortion rate. "With abortion rates falling in almost all states, our study did not find evidence that the national decline in abortions during this period was the result of new state abortion restrictions," said Jones.
Guttmacher Institute official Elizabeth Nash also said they monitor the effects of state restrictions on women who need abortion services. "As we monitor trends in abortion going forward, it is critical that we also monitor whether these state restrictions are preventing women who need abortion services from accessing them," she said.
The study will be published in the March 2014 issue of the Guttmacher Institute's "Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health."
