Abortion laws make no difference in number of abortions

A new study published in The Lancet affirms that abortion rates persist whether or not abortions are legal— around the world. Katha Pollitt took note of the study in the latest issue of The Nation.

What does vary with legality/illegality is the safety of the procedure. Well, duh.

Furthermore, the study makes it clear that the single biggest factor in reducing abortion rates is availability of contraception. Let’s have another big “duh.”

So the right-to-lifers and the abstinence-onliests and the religious right have it all exactly backwards. If you want to save lives and reduce abortion rates you need to fund and teach contraception and keep abortion legal and safe.

~ by bothwellsblog on October 28, 2007.