by Dave Andrusko
October 27, 2009 --
The OH Department of Health reports not only that abortions dropped 4% between 2007 and 2008, but also that the 2008 figure of 29,613 is the lowest number of abortions ever recorded. Overall abortions have decreased a stunning 23% since 1976 when the state first began keeping records.
"We are winning the fight against those who push abortion as the first and sometimes only choice for women in crisis," Ohio Right to Life Executive Director Mike Gonidakis said. But he also put the report in perspective.
"While we take great joy that the collective efforts of Ohio's pro-life community are making significant strides in ending abortions," Gonidakis said, " the total number is staggering."
However that does not take away from the positive trends the Health Department documented in its report (available at www.ohiolife.org/assets/attachments/file/2008AbortionReport.pdf).
As Ohio RTL points out on its webpage, some of the key findings comparing abortions between 2008 and 1997 include:
Abortion declined by 35% among women 18 years old and younger. The decline was 22% among women 20-24 years old and 19% among women 25 years and older.
Abortion declined 30% among white women; 10% among African-American women; and 15% among other groups.
There was also detailed demographic information about the women obtaining abortions. According to Ohio RTL, those statistics include that:
- 18% of women were less than 20 years old;
- 34% were between 20 and 24 years old;
- 47% were older than 24 years old;
- 83% were unmarried;
- 56% were white; and
- 42% were black.
Read more at http://www.nrlc.org/News_and_Views/
Late term abortions have increased in Ohio. 603 abortions were done between 20-36 weeks. 417 of those abortions were identified as D&E abortions. alayna staggers
When I read about the “stunning” drop in abortions, as though to say, look how many lives we’re saving; it reveals how desperate we are for some kind of success to assuage our frustration for not having ended legal abortion after almost 4 decades and 50 million preborn citizens killed. It may be intended to motivate pro-lifers; I believe it’s a detriment that misplaces our time and energy. We’re told also that we are making “significant” strides in ending abortions; that’s denying reality. Most states can boast a drop in abortions, how does that become a “significant” stride in ending abortion?
The fact that the abortion count has decreased over the last 30 plus years is irrelevant to the total number of abortions because we don’t know how many years legal abortion will continue. President Obama has recently thrown open the “blood-gates” and that’s a significant stride for prolonging legal abortion in America and worldwide.
After three decades in the pro-life movement, I've come to believe it’s time for changes in the structure, strategy, efficiency, and attitude of the pro-life movement. Our pro-life groups have had some success, but the ultimate goal to end legal abortion, has been a dismal failure. Is it possible that our overall pro-life strategy is inherently flawed and counterproductive to our goal to end legal abortion? Writers for Life, prolifedigest.com.