Since 2010, the abortion rates across the United States have dropped 12 percent, reveals an Associated Press survey.
In the new report published, the trend is happening in both states that have discourage having them as well as states where the rights are protected.
There are opposing views regarding what has brought about the decline. Abortion-rights activists cite access to contraceptives and a decrease in unwanted pregnancies are the likely cause while anti-abortion parties say that there has been a change in sentiment and attitudes with a growing number of women opting to push forward with their pregnancies.
"There's an entire generation of women who saw a sonogram as their first baby picture," she said. "There's an increased awareness of the humanity of the baby before it is born," detailed Charmain Yoest, president of Americans United for Life. She believes that the decrease in abortion is a signal that the attitude of pregnant women has shifted.
In the same fashion, Cecile Richards, preside of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, an advocate for abortion rights says that this is a result of responsible and planed parenthood. With more information being disseminated, more women are getting all the information necessary before making a decision with regards to abortion.
"Better access to birth control and sex education are the biggest factors in reducing unintended pregnancies," said Richards and added, "More restrictive abortion laws do not reduce the need for abortions."
There are states that have tightened their anti-abortion laws, namely Indiana, Missouri, and Oklahoma, but their numbers have also dropped by more than 15 percent over the last five years. The same trend has been seen with liberal states like New York, Washington and Oregon.
According to the AP, one of the contributing factors may have been the decline in the teenage pregnancies recorded in 2010, while there is now updated record on the statistics, experts believe that teenage pregnancies are following the same pattern.
The data used was from all 45 states which gather the necessary data, the remaining 5 that don't include California, Maryland, New Hampshire and Wyoming. "With one exception, the data was from either 2013 or 2014 - providing a unique nationwide gauge of abortion trends during a wave of anti-abortion laws that gathered strength starting in 2011," detailed the publication.
The full article on the abortion rates across the United States is found here.
