The lowered rate of abortion coincided with a drop in the birth rate and pregnancy rates, according to the study's lead author Rachel Jones, who said:
"The decline in abortions coincided with a steep national drop in overall pregnancy and birth rates. Contraceptive use improved during this period, as more women and couples were using highly effective, long-acting reversible contraceptive methods, such as the IUD. Moreover, the recent recession led many women and couples to want to avoid or delay pregnancy and childbearing.”
While the study found no evidence that new abortion-restricting state laws had an impact on women's ability to obtain abortion, that doesn't mean they aren't problematic or won't make matters worse in the future. Such restrictions were passed in record numbers in 2011, with more such laws being passed in the three years ending in 2013 than in the previous decade.
Forced-birthers are clearly not finished in their efforts to hamstring women's reproductive rights. For instance, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said in his state of the state address two weeks ago that his goal is to end abortion in the Magnolia State. Currently, only one abortion clinic is operating in Mississippi, and its future will be determined by the outcome of a lawsuit against the state's law requiring that abortion providers must have hospital admitting privileges. Jury selection in that case begins March 3.
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