American Women are having more Abortions

[Hermit For Peace]

The number of patients seeking abortions in the U.S. rose in 2020, reversing some 30 years of decline in the number of abortions.


That finding, in a report released by the Guttmacher Institute on Wednesday, comes as the Supreme Court appears poised to overturn decades of precedent guaranteeing abortion rights.

The number of abortions recorded by Guttmacher's Abortion Provider Census rose to 930,160 in 2020, an 8% increase compared with 2017, the last time the data was collected.

"The long-term decline in abortion is over, and the number of abortions in the United States is actually increasing," said Rachel K. Jones, a research scientist who co-authored an analysis of the data for Guttmacher, a research group that supports abortion rights.

https://www.npr.org/2022/06/15/1105037393/with-roe-on-the-precipice-americans-are-having-more-abortions

[Hermit For Peace]

im just curious as to why that it is?

The report lists several potential factors that may have contributed to the increase, including increased abortion access in some states through Medicaid expansion or the growth of abortion funds that help low-income people cover the costs of obtaining an abortion.

The report also notes that the Trump administration's overhaul of the federal Title X family planning program in 2019 prompted some health centers to withdraw, which resulted in fewer patients receiving contraception through the program.

[Hermit For Peace]

I've said it before and others as well, that you will never stop women from having abortions. No matter how much you legislate and throw morality into the mix, women will find a way to have abortions. And there are lots of men who do not wish to be fathers, so when a women has an abortion it lets the guy off the hook as well. When they tinker with Roe v Wade to the point where it affects everyday women from exercising her freedom in a safe way, there will be a backlash. You can count on it. And I can't wait to see it.

[Hermit For Peace]

So much for "safe, legal, and rare"

Put 200 women in a room, and only 1 of them had an abortion in 2020.  That's pretty rare, I'd say.

It's the "safe" and "legal" part that currently remains the most under threat.

There's also the false promise of "more abortion access = less abortions" but clearly the activists gave up on that too and somehow think more abortions is a good thing.

Well, this is the same country that believes "more guns = less gun violence", so I don't know what else to tell you.

Most supporters of gun rights don't want to have a reason to use their gun on another human, and acknowlege gun violence is evil. Most abortion supporters want it to become easier to kill their own offspring and see it as a moral good.

You aren't "killing offspring" if the fetus hasn't popped out yet into the real world. That's the same argument people make that we are "killing babies" when women have abortions.

[Hermit For Peace]

Here's something interesting. Reasons why women get abortions. Kind of an old study, but I'll bet the same reasons apply today.

Why women have abortions

In a 2004 survey of 957 women having an abortion, one in four said their most important reason for having the procedure was that they weren't ready for a child or the timing was wrong.

Not ready for a(nother) child/Timing is wrong   25%
Can’t afford a baby now   23%
Have completed my childbearing/Have other people depending on me/Children are grown   19%
Don’t want to be a single mother or am having relationship problems   8%
Don’t feel mature enough to raise a(nother) child/Feel too young   7%
Would interfere with education or career plans   4%
Physical problem with my health   4%
Possible problems affecting the health of the fetus   3%
Other   6%

https://givingcompass.org/article/the-demographic-breakdown-of-women-who-are-getting-abortions

[Hermit For Peace]

Here's something interesting. Reasons why women get abortions. Kind of an old study, but I'll bet the same reasons apply today.

Why women have abortions

In a 2004 survey of 957 women having an abortion, one in four said their most important reason for having the procedure was that they weren't ready for a child or the timing was wrong.

Not ready for a(nother) child/Timing is wrong 25%
Can’t afford a baby now 23%
Have completed my childbearing/Have other people depending on me/Children are grown 19%
Don’t want to be a single mother or am having relationship problems 8%
Don’t feel mature enough to raise a(nother) child/Feel too young 7%
Would interfere with education or career plans 4%
Physical problem with my health 4%
Possible problems affecting the health of the fetus 3%
Other 6%

https://givingcompass.org/article/the-demographic-breakdown-of-women-who-are-getting-abortions

Do you believe those are valid reasons to end the life of a child already born? After all, the physical location of the child matters little if those reasons are legitimate, wouldn't you say?

We are not talking about a child that is already born. That's a whole different ballgame.

You don't have to agree that these reasons are legitimate, but it's reality. And they are legitimate to the women having an abortion.

[Hermit For Peace]

So much for "safe, legal, and rare"

Put 200 women in a room, and only 1 of them had an abortion in 2020.  That's pretty rare, I'd say.

It's the "safe" and "legal" part that currently remains the most under threat.

There's also the false promise of "more abortion access = less abortions" but clearly the activists gave up on that too and somehow think more abortions is a good thing.

Well, this is the same country that believes "more guns = less gun violence", so I don't know what else to tell you.

Most supporters of gun rights don't want to have a reason to use their gun on another human, and acknowlege gun violence is evil. Most abortion supporters want it to become easier to kill their own offspring and see it as a moral good.

You aren't "killing offspring" if the fetus hasn't popped out yet into the real world. That's the same argument people make that we are "killing babies" when women have abortions.

If you want to deny the fact that the child in your womb is your offspring, you're more than welcome to do so. But that doesnt change the fact that it is still your offspring, you are still their mother, and it's pretty anti-science (and anti-natalist) to claim otherwise.

Thank you for your opinion.

[Hermit For Peace]

Here's something interesting. Reasons why women get abortions. Kind of an old study, but I'll bet the same reasons apply today.

Why women have abortions

In a 2004 survey of 957 women having an abortion, one in four said their most important reason for having the procedure was that they weren't ready for a child or the timing was wrong.

Not ready for a(nother) child/Timing is wrong 25%
Can’t afford a baby now 23%
Have completed my childbearing/Have other people depending on me/Children are grown 19%
Don’t want to be a single mother or am having relationship problems 8%
Don’t feel mature enough to raise a(nother) child/Feel too young 7%
Would interfere with education or career plans 4%
Physical problem with my health 4%
Possible problems affecting the health of the fetus 3%
Other 6%

https://givingcompass.org/article/the-demographic-breakdown-of-women-who-are-getting-abortions

Do you believe those are valid reasons to end the life of a child already born? After all, the physical location of the child matters little if those reasons are legitimate, wouldn't you say?

We are not talking about a child that is already born. That's a whole different ballgame.

You don't have to agree that these reasons are legitimate, but it's reality. And they are legitimate to the women having an abortion.

What difference does it make if the reasons for not wanting a child are truly legitimate?

Financial situations change, health issues arise, relationships fail, careers change, all things that can happen after birth. Those are reality, yet for some arbitrary reason you think a human being's physical location means anything in the situation.

If a mother wanted to end the life of her newborn because she lost her job or her husband left her, how does that make her any worse of a person than someone who did it just a few months prior?  For the woman who killed her newborn, why would her reason be any less legitimate?

If you don't know then there is no talking to you.

[Hermit For Peace]

This is why we must overturn Roe vs. Wade.

There are people who would like to see it overturned, but the majority of people in the country do not want to see this happening.

Do you think it is wise to go against the will of the majority of citizens? How long do you think that will last? Do you actually think that legislating against abortion will stop women from getting abortions?

[Hermit For Peace]

A lot of non-Atlas blue states have moved left on abortion since 2018, creating new public or public-private partnerships to increase abortion access/education (especially for Black/Brown women.)

It's unsurprising that a culture that increasingly celebrates abortion would have more of it. 

Nobody celebrates abortion. The need for it is a fact of modern life.

[Hermit For Peace]

A lot of non-Atlas blue states have moved left on abortion since 2018, creating new public or public-private partnerships to increase abortion access/education (especially for Black/Brown women.)

It's unsurprising that a culture that increasingly celebrates abortion would have more of it. 

Nobody celebrates abortion. The need for it is a fact of modern life.

You're kidding yourself if you think the culture doesn't celebrate abortion.  The days of "safe, legal and rare" are long gone.

There are holidays that celebrate abortion, Andrew Cuomo lit up the World Trade Center in pink to celebrate New York state legalizing late-term abortions, and celebrities on award stages are applauded when crediting their success to a decision to terminate a human life.

And Democrats are complicit in this new, celebratory culture around abortion.  Arguments like "abortion is healthcare" or that abortion "empowers" women are advanced in service to the goal of normalizing and destigmatizing mass abortion. 

Abortion can be legally protected while still acknowledging it as a personal and moral failure.  But is that even what you (and the Democrats more broadly) believe these days?

I offer that it's not a celebration of abortion, but rather a celebration of the freedom of choice. Freedom from oppression by perhaps people like you who want to throw your own personal morality and fear of God into the ring as the standard for all.

[Hermit For Peace]

A lot of non-Atlas blue states have moved left on abortion since 2018, creating new public or public-private partnerships to increase abortion access/education (especially for Black/Brown women.)

It's unsurprising that a culture that increasingly celebrates abortion would have more of it. 

Nobody celebrates abortion. The need for it is a fact of modern life.

You're kidding yourself if you think the culture doesn't celebrate abortion.  The days of "safe, legal and rare" are long gone.

There are holidays that celebrate abortion, Andrew Cuomo lit up the World Trade Center in pink to celebrate New York state legalizing late-term abortions, and celebrities on award stages are applauded when crediting their success to a decision to terminate a human life.

And Democrats are complicit in this new, celebratory culture around abortion.  Arguments like "abortion is healthcare" or that abortion "empowers" women are advanced in service to the goal of normalizing and destigmatizing mass abortion. 

Abortion can be legally protected while still acknowledging it as a personal and moral failure.  But is that even what you (and the Democrats more broadly) believe these days?

I offer that it's not a celebration of abortion, but rather a celebration of the freedom of choice. Freedom from oppression by perhaps people like you who want to throw your own personal morality and fear of God into the ring as the standard for all.

Using terms like "freedom of choice" is exactly the type of celebratory jargon that whitewashes what abortion really is - the termination of human life.

Your post tells how perfectly happy you are to celebrate and #ShoutYourAbortion as long as it's to "own" those tirelessly defending the sanctity of life.  You're equating abortion rights to the war to defeat the Nazis or something.  Grow up.   

No one should be happy to talk about abortion, much less happy to have one.  Abortion is a shameful and hurtful reality, but the pro-choice movement has had the normalization and promotion of abortion as their goal for several years now.     

You are operating inside a realm of wanting to control women, wanting to speak for your God, and wanting the entire country to fit in with your definition of what is right and moral. You may not agree with what I'm saying here, but your words tell a different tale.

You say I celebrate abortion but again, I tell you that nobody celebrates abortion. Especially me. I am all for freedom. I am for women having the right to dictate what happens to their own body, without moralists like you trying to crawl into their vaginas to vicariously see what's going on in there.

Why don't you put your nose in your own business and take care of your own health and the health of your family. That's your right. Period.

[Hermit For Peace]

Seems to me that there are many people out there who are focusing too narrowly on the issue of abortion. They come from the religious angle and can only see that abortion is an affront to God, somehow.

I mean, it would be nice if abortion was never necessary. I would be the first in line to sign up for a society that is more enlightened and had no need for messy abortion issues, or gun issues for that matter.

But we don't live in that world. We live in the real world where people have problems and need help. Just stop with all the moralizing. Sometimes women need to get abortions, and it's for a whole host of reasons that really is nobody's business.

Murder happens all around our country every day, most of it perpetrated by men. Why don't we do something about that rather than always trying to blame women for not being perfect and for not living life the way the religious ones and the moralists want them to.

[Hermit For Peace]

Seems to me that there are many people out there who are focusing too narrowly on the issue of abortion. They come from the religious angle and can only see that abortion is an affront to God, somehow.

I mean, it would be nice if abortion was never necessary. I would be the first in line to sign up for a society that is more enlightened and had no need for messy abortion issues, or gun issues for that matter.

But we don't live in that world. We live in the real world where people have problems and need help. Just stop with all the moralizing. Sometimes women need to get abortions, and it's for a whole host of reasons that really is nobody's business.

Murder happens all around our country every day, most of it perpetrated by men. Why don't we do something about that rather than always trying to blame women for not being perfect and for not living life the way the religious ones and the moralists want them to.

Not "trying to blame women for not being perfect" does not mean letting babies be aborted for not being perfect. 

Murder of born people is already illegal in the US, government at all levels - from international agreements down to neighborhood associations - spend a lot of resources in trying to stop it, and there is no broad movement in society claiming that it's ok and that it ought to be funded by government and private actors. All pro-lifers ask is getting a little bit closer to that situation when it comes to killings of the unborn.

No that is not all what pro-lifer's want. They want complete control over the conversation of abortion. They want to control what women do with their bodies. They want everyone in the country to fall in line with their thoughts about God and morality, to the exclusion of what is good for the woman involved in an abortion, and also what is good for the people around her personally.

Why don't anti abortionists just control their own conversation, their own bodies, and if abortion is not for you then don't get one.

What is with trying to control every female in the country with their religious standards? As a woman, what right do you have to speak for me?

And for that matter, who appointed you savior of the unborn?

[Hermit For Peace]

Seems to me that there are many people out there who are focusing too narrowly on the issue of abortion. They come from the religious angle and can only see that abortion is an affront to God, somehow.

I mean, it would be nice if abortion was never necessary. I would be the first in line to sign up for a society that is more enlightened and had no need for messy abortion issues, or gun issues for that matter.

But we don't live in that world. We live in the real world where people have problems and need help. Just stop with all the moralizing. Sometimes women need to get abortions, and it's for a whole host of reasons that really is nobody's business.

Murder happens all around our country every day, most of it perpetrated by men. Why don't we do something about that rather than always trying to blame women for not being perfect and for not living life the way the religious ones and the moralists want them to.

Not "trying to blame women for not being perfect" does not mean letting babies be aborted for not being perfect. 

Murder of born people is already illegal in the US, government at all levels - from international agreements down to neighborhood associations - spend a lot of resources in trying to stop it, and there is no broad movement in society claiming that it's ok and that it ought to be funded by government and private actors. All pro-lifers ask is getting a little bit closer to that situation when it comes to killings of the unborn.

No that is not all what pro-lifer's want. They want complete control over the conversation of abortion. They want to control what women do with their bodies. They want everyone in the country to fall in line with their thoughts about God and morality, to the exclusion of what is good for the woman involved in an abortion, and also what is good for the people around her personally.

Why don't anti abortionists just control their own conversation, their own bodies, and if abortion is not for you then don't get one.

What is with trying to control every female in the country with their religious standards? As a woman, what right do you have to speak for me?

And for that matter, who appointed you savior of the unborn?

Jesus did (Matthew 25:40).

Gods of Prosperity, you come across as a decent human being. I have been in conversations about the subject of abortion for many many years now. I'll tell you now that if all you have is a verse from the bible to quote, then you have no argument. This is what I keep saying, that anti abortionists want to lay down the religious and spiritual law for every female in the country, but you can't really do that. You can try, and you may succeed at times, but if our country makes it harder for women to have abortions there is going to be a backlash.

God vs human reality. And don't get me wrong, I am a believer in a higher power. My belief tells me that this is a benevolent, gracious, loving God, but the religious extremists want to speak for God and cast fire and hatred on already living, thriving human beings because they dare to exercise their freedom of choice. Doesn't make sense to me.

[Hermit For Peace]

It would be ironic if abortions went up if Roe is repealed.

They just might. California and other states say they will be sanctuary states, and California even said they would help women with their transportation needs to come here. I don't know how real that is at the moment. Then there is medical abortion where women don't have to go anywhere, just take the medication. But the backward states want to prohibit that somehow.

I am really really very curious what is going to happen as far as backlash from women and those interested parties who are pro-choice when the SCOTUS does its questionable deed.

[Hermit For Peace]

Seems to me that there are many people out there who are focusing too narrowly on the issue of abortion. They come from the religious angle and can only see that abortion is an affront to God, somehow.

I mean, it would be nice if abortion was never necessary. I would be the first in line to sign up for a society that is more enlightened and had no need for messy abortion issues, or gun issues for that matter.

But we don't live in that world. We live in the real world where people have problems and need help. Just stop with all the moralizing. Sometimes women need to get abortions, and it's for a whole host of reasons that really is nobody's business.

Murder happens all around our country every day, most of it perpetrated by men. Why don't we do something about that rather than always trying to blame women for not being perfect and for not living life the way the religious ones and the moralists want them to.

Not "trying to blame women for not being perfect" does not mean letting babies be aborted for not being perfect. 

Murder of born people is already illegal in the US, government at all levels - from international agreements down to neighborhood associations - spend a lot of resources in trying to stop it, and there is no broad movement in society claiming that it's ok and that it ought to be funded by government and private actors. All pro-lifers ask is getting a little bit closer to that situation when it comes to killings of the unborn.

No that is not all what pro-lifer's want. They want complete control over the conversation of abortion. They want to control what women do with their bodies. They want everyone in the country to fall in line with their thoughts about God and morality, to the exclusion of what is good for the woman involved in an abortion, and also what is good for the people around her personally.

Why don't anti abortionists just control their own conversation, their own bodies, and if abortion is not for you then don't get one.

What is with trying to control every female in the country with their religious standards? As a woman, what right do you have to speak for me?

And for that matter, who appointed you savior of the unborn?

Jesus did (Matthew 25:40).

Gods of Prosperity, you come across as a decent human being. I have been in conversations about the subject of abortion for many many years now. I'll tell you now that if all you have is a verse from the bible to quote, then you have no argument. This is what I keep saying, that anti abortionists want to lay down the religious and spiritual law for every female in the country, but you can't really do that. You can try, and you may succeed at times, but if our country makes it harder for women to have abortions there is going to be a backlash.

God vs human reality. And don't get me wrong, I am a believer in a higher power. My belief tells me that this is a benevolent, gracious, loving God, but the religious extremists want to speak for God and cast fire and hatred on already living, thriving human beings because they dare to exercise their freedom of choice. Doesn't make sense to me.

I appreciate you saying I come across as a decent human being. I hope then you can understand that the desire to stop abortion is not in order to rigidly control people or to ignore their needs.  It really is to protect life before birth and not just afterwards.

You asked "who appointed you savior of the unborn?" and I gave the answer I believe in.  I believe it's my duty to try to protect Jesus' little brothers and sisters in the womb.  But someone doesn't need to be a Christian or believe in the Bible to oppose abortion. The pro-life position is strongest among Christians, but there are pro-life Jews, pro-life Muslims, pro-life Buddhists, pro-life Wiccans, and pro-life atheists. 

Thank you for your honest answer.