Both the rate and the overall number of abortions in the United States has plummeted to the lowest level on record since the safe medical procedure became legal across the country in 1973. A new report from the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that explicitly supports abortion access and rights, made this finding based on data from 2017.
Before we get into the data, it’s important to reiterate that this report does not include data concerning the abortion bans we’ve seen this year. So while incredibly restrictive bans have been passed in a handful of Republican-controlled states including Alabama and Georgia, none of those bans have taken effect yet. And while it’s entirely possible the bans have already made it harder for people to access abortions, that timeframe isn’t included in the context of this study.
Now, let’s look at some specifics from this report. In 2017, the abortion rate was 13.5 abortions per 1,000 women in the 15 to 44 age group. Compared to 2014, that’s an 8% drop. Going all the way back to 1980, when the U.S. had its highest abortion rate, it’s a 54% drop. The 2017 rate is less than half of what it reached in 1990.
Here’s another way to look at these numbers: This report found 826,000 abortions in the nation in 2017. In 2014, the number was 926,000. In 2011, it was about 1 million.
Why the drop? The report offers two possible explanations. One, the country has an overall declining pregnancy rate, which lowers possible abortions. The other reason? The concerning disparity between abortion clinic access depending on the state (or city) you live in.
Relatedly, it’s also possible that there’s been an increase in self-managed abortions, due to access or cost barriers for the procedure. It’s also possible that contraceptive use has gone up (remember all of the people who said they were going to get long-term birth control as Trump neared office?). ACA coverage for some birth control methods also may have contributed to the declining rate.