NEW YORK — The long-term decline in the U.S. abortion rate stalled as the recession took hold, according to the latest comprehensive survey of America’s abortion providers.
The Guttmacher Institute, which periodically surveys U.S. abortion providers, reported Tuesday that there were 1.21 million abortions in 2008 and a rate of 19.6 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44.
Both figures were up slightly from the previous survey, in 2005, ending a steady decline since 1990, when U.S. abortions peaked at 1.6 million and the abortion rate was 27.4.
One possible factor was the recession that hit in 2008, altering the financial prospects for many families.
“Abortion numbers go down when the economy is good and go up when the economy is bad, so the stalling may be a function of a weaker economy,” said University of Alabama political-science professor Michael New. “If the economy does better, you’ll see numbers trending down again.”
The Guttmacher Institute supports abortion rights, but its surveys are widely considered to be the most comprehensive available because federal agencies rely on incomplete data from state governments.
Sharon Camp, the institute’s president, said the stalled numbers should serve as an “urgent message” to policymakers that access to contraceptive services should be increased to prevent unintended pregnancies.
Many abortion opponents have opposed this approach, saying abortion rates can best be lowered through abstinence-only sex education and tougher state-level restrictions on abortion.
Many states have expanded restrictions in recent years, and others will be considering such steps in the aftermath of conservative gains in legislatures in the Nov. 2 elections.
For example, lawmakers in several states would like to emulate Nebraska in outlawing abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy based on the premise that fetuses can feel pain after that point.
The new Guttmacher report documented sharp variations by state — with abortion rates of over 30 per 1,000 women aged 15-44 in Delaware, New York and New Jersey and at or below 6 in Wyoming, Mississippi, Kentucky, South Dakota and Idaho.
The report also documented a significant increase in early medication abortion with the so-called abortion pill. It now accounts for about one-quarter of U.S. abortions performed in the first nine weeks of pregnancy.
