Statement by Melissa Kogut on the Drop in Massachusetts Abortion rate
Synopsis: Massachusetts abortion rate reaches thirty-year low; Mass NARAL launches emergency contraception campaign.
Mass NARAL announces campaign to
increase access to Emergency Contraception
Boston, MA — Today’s news that the number of women having abortions in Massachusetts reached its lowest levels in 2000-2001 since Roe v. Wade legalized abortion thirty years ago is striking in light of current attacks in Washington on a woman’s right to choose. The Bay State experienced the most significant four-year decline in the nation in the number of abortions performed, according to a survey released today by the Alan Guttmacher Institute.
It is important to note that this decline in the abortion rate mirrors a similar drop in the birth rate. This promising data reflects the importance and impact of better access to contraceptive options.
The Bush Administration and the anti-choice leadership in Congress have made clear their intentions to restrict reproductive freedom. Not only are they attempting to restrict abortion, but also to block women's access to contraceptives, which help to reduce the rate of unintended pregnancy and abortion. They are attacking comprehensive sex education designed to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, and support abstinence-only programs. And, scientifically accurate information about contraceptives and abortion is disappearing from federal government Web sites.
Studies suggest increased awareness of emergency contraception would result in a further drop
(more)
in the abortion rate. Emergency contraception (EC) is a safe and effective contraceptive method – approved by the FDA in 1998 – that will prevent pregnancy when taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex. In fact, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists estimates that full access to EC could reduce the annual number of unintended pregnancies in the U.S. by 1.2 million and the number of abortions by 800,000. Unfortunately, most women do not know EC is available in the U.S. and most clinicians do not talk about it with their patients.
Mass NARAL is mobilizing the grassroots in support of the new Emergency Contraception Bill – filed on Beacon Hill in December – to increase access to emergency contraception in Massachusetts. Mass NARAL and the Massachusetts Coalition for Choice will also mark the 30th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion with a public event on January 22 at St. Paul’s Cathedral on Tremont Street in Boston. The event will be attended by more than one hundred supporters. Boston Globe columnist Eileen McNamara will speak at the event.
Mass NARAL was founded in 1972 to develop and sustain a grassroots constituency that uses the political process to guarantee every woman the right to make personal decisions regarding the full range of reproductive choices, including preventing unintended pregnancy, bearing healthy children, and choosing safe, legal, accessible abortion. Mass NARAL is the state’s largest pro-choice political organization with more than 10,000 members.
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