Here is an interesting little piece from Skeptic Money. I have written on abortion before and am enjoying some vociferous debates offsite. This is a useful piece of ammunition in certain contexts of the debate.:
I have always made the argument that abortion rates plummet with birth control. Now I have a study that proves me correct! Washington University in St. Louis has just put out this new data. The most important fact is that abortion rates plummet 62-78% when free birth control and education are provided!
Providing birth control to women at no cost substantially reduced unplanned pregnancies and cut abortion rates by a range of 62-78 percent compared to the national rate, a new study shows.
No one is pro abortion so why can’t we all agree to use science, education and modern technology to shrink the number. Every option should be provided to women – Free! Then men, government and religion need to get out of the way and let those women decide what is best.
“This study shows that by removing barriers to highly-effective contraceptive methods such as IUDs and implants, we can reduce unintended pregnancies and the need for abortions,” says lead author Jeff Peipert, MD, PhD, the Robert J. Terry Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
There are several options available.
Among a range of birth control methods offered in the study, most women chose long-acting methods like intrauterine devices (IUDs) or implants, which have lower failure rates than commonly used birth control pills. In the United States, IUDs and implants have high up-front costs that sometimes aren’t covered by health insurance, making these methods unaffordable for many women.
They study shows failure rate of 9% with the pill (almost 18% for younger women). The better methods only fail about 1% of the time. If you want abortion rates to go down then you need to education young women. The ignorance promoted by religion is counter productive.
Among girls ages 15-19 who had access to free birth control provided in the study, the annual birth rate was 6.3 per 1,000, far below the U.S. rate of 34.3 per 1,000 for girls the same age.
From 34.3 to 6.3 – that is amazing. It not only results in fewer abortions it empowers women.
