According to the nationwide statistics by both the Centres for Disease Control and Guttmacher Institute; the primary sources of data on abortion suggest that the rate of abortion is declining. Whereas CDC provide data for the public, the Guttmacher Institute contains data to be used privately. The annual induced abortion in the United States is reported to have doubled between 1973 and 1979, and peaking in 1990. According to Finer and Mia (pg.45), slow decline was noted in the 1990’s and decrease by 6% between 2000 and 2009 spiking temporarily between 2002 and 2006. This decrease can be attributed to the Roe v Wade case of 1973, where the court established the nationwide right to abortion.
The decline in the rate of abortion in the United States is a fascinating subject because the onset of the fall was propagated by the Roe v. Wade decision by the Supreme Court. Also, it is wrong to assume that since the rate of abortion is declining nationwide, similarly, all the states are reporting a decline in the rate of abortion as well. The reduction can also be attributed to various factors that need to scrutinize thoroughlyscrutinise. Studying the relationship between the factors that have contributed to declines in the rate of abortion and the increase of the same in some states provides an opportunity to more in-depth research regarding the topic. It will give me a chance to go into deeper lengths to research.
I believe that despite the widely reported decline in the rate of abortion in the United States, the rate of abortion in some states is on the rise. The information about the abortion incidence in the United States shows that abortion is not uncommon. It is used to estimate actual pregnancy rates and determine the rates of unintended pregnancy. There are vast resources that show that there is an increasing decline in the rate of abortion nationwide, however, fewer resources that indicate the increase in the rate of abortion in some states of the United States. Research on the rise in the rate of contraceptive use provides insight into the reason for the decline in number if unintended pregnancy between the years 2008 and 2011. Long-acting reversible contraceptive methods use increased by 130% between 2007 and 2009 and continued until 2012 although at a slightly slower pace (Pazol, Andreea, and Denise p. 12). The Roe v. Wade provided women with the greater access to services for abortion by removing abortion restrictions, despite, no evidence supporting this has been noted. However, some states have enacted laws restricting abortion, hence reducing the demand for the services. An example of such a case is recorded in Texas after it passes the TRAP laws that placed burdensome regulations on abortion providers and facilities (Jones and Jenna, p.6). Reports from Texas indicate that women try self-induced abortion due the restrictive laws that make user they have abortions outside the healthcare setting.
Research is a field that requires comprehensive and in-depth analysis and inferring data. Obtaining such data has always been a problematic part that is associated with the study. I anticipate that I will experience many problems. The most likely difficulty in obtaining the data on the abortion rates in all the states. Preliminary research shows that this data is scanty compared to the nationwide information on the rate of abortion. Also, examining abortion policy context in states that experienced the most significant changes in the number of abortion facilities is a time-consuming task.
References
Finer, Lawrence B., and Mia R. Zolna. “Shifts in intended and unintended pregnancies in the United States, 2001–2008.” American journal of public health 104.S1 (2014): S43-S48.
Jones, Rachel K., and Jenna Jerman. “Abortion incidence and service availability in the United States, 2011.” Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health 46.1 (2014): 3-14.
Pazol, Karen, Andreea A. Creanga, and Denise J. Jamieson. “Abortion surveillance United States, 2012.” MMWR SURVEILLANCE SUMMARIES 64.10 (2015): 1-40.
