Press Release January 17, 2008

  WASHINGTON – Today, National Right to Life cited an increase in pro-life educational outreach and legislative initiatives as central to a new report issued by the Alan Guttmacher Institute, the special research arm of Planned Parenthood, showing the annual number of abortions reaching their lowest level in nearly 30 years.

"Today's numbers confirm what we have known for years – if women seeking abortion are fully informed about the risks surrounding abortion, the development of their unborn child, and public and private assistance available in their area, they are more likely to reject the idea of abortion," said Randall K. O'Bannon, Ph.D., NRLC director of education and research. "Women's Right to Know laws, parental involvement laws, bans on partial-birth abortion – all of which continue to be enacted by the states – not only help women facing crisis pregnancies, they also raise the public's awareness about abortion and the humanity of the unborn child."

The Guttmacher Institute report finds just over 1.2 million abortions in the United States in 2005, down nearly 25% from their high of 1.6 million in 1990, and the lowest reported total since 1.179 million in 1976. Additionally, the report shows the abortion rate (the number of abortions per every thousand women age 15-44) down to 19.4 per thousand – the lowest since 1974. The Guttmacher report speculates that the lower abortion rates may be due to "more women carrying unintended pregnancies to term," implicitly acknowledging that attitudes toward abortion and pregnancy may have substantially changed.

Much of that attitudinal shift can be attributed to the efforts of National Right to Life and its state affiliates in passing legislation at the federal and state levels to protect unborn children and equip their mothers with information.

Twenty-three states have women's right to know laws that provide women seeking abortion with information about abortion and its risks, biological information about the development of their unborn child and available alternatives to abortion, including, significantly, the types of both governmental and private assistance available if they choose to bear their child. Eleven states also make provisions for women to view ultrasound footage of their unborn child.

Twenty-eight states have laws providing for parental involvement in a minor daughter's abortion decision. Other data show that teen abortion rates have fallen further and faster than abortion rates as a whole.

Also significant has been the enactment of partial-birth abortion bans at the federal and state level. Public debate surrounding these laws has further increased the public's awareness about abortion and the development of unborn children in utero.

Educational outreach has also played a significant role in changing the public's attitude about abortion. Every year, thousands of pieces of literature are distributed at fair booths and events nationwide. Furthermore, polling trends continue to show that the majority of Americans oppose the vast majority of abortions.

"What the pro-life movement has done, and continues to do, has saved hundreds of thousands of lives," Dr. O'Bannon added. "Falling abortion rates are a sure sign that, given truthful information about abortion, about its impact on their lives, about the child growing inside them, and given even the slightest help and encouragement, many women will choose life.

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California ProLife Council (CPLC) (www.californiaprolife.org.) is the largest statewide organization in California solely dedicated to pro-life issues. CPLC is a non-sectarian, non-partisan, non-profit grassroots organization of pro-life groups and individuals in California dedicated to protecting and fostering the most basic value of our society- respect for LIFE itself.  We seek to educate our community in regard to abortion, euthanasia, and infanticide, to identify and organize the pro-life population of the state into an effective team, and to restore respect for human life to public policy.  California ProLife Council is the California affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee, Inc. (www.nrlc.org)

Previous Press Releases

 

December 13, 2007 -- California ProLife PAC Endorses Fred Thompson

 

November 29, 2007 -- National Right to Life Mourns the Death of Former Congressman Henry J. Hyde

 

November 17, 2007 -- National Right to Life Shakes Up Race for Republican Presidential Nomination by Endorsing Fred Thompson

 

May 23, 2007 -- National Ultrasound Trend Grows

May 3, 2007 -- National Right to Life Applauds Blanket Pro-Life Veto Warning by President Bush

April 3, 2007 -- Idaho Governor Signs Law Providing for Ultrasound Before Abortion

March 22, 2007 -- Mississippi Governor Signs Ultrasound Bill

February 19, 2007 -- National Right to Life Pleased by McCain Statement on Roe v. Wade
 

August 11, 2005 -- Planned Parenthood: Tax-Supported Hate Speech

August 27, 2003 -- California ProLife PAC endorses Tom McClintock for Governor

March 13, 2003 -- U.S. Senate Passes Ban on Partial-Birth Abortion, But 33 Senators Vote Against the  Ban, Saying Roe v. Wade Protects Partial-Birth Abortion

November 6, 2001 -- Attorney General Acts to Bar Use of Controlled Substances for Assisted Suicide

May 6, 2002 -- California Senate Poised to O.K. Non-Physician Abortions

January 16, 2002 -- California ProLife Endorses Simon for Governor

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