America, what are you becoming?

[deurbano]

10. "What kind of program have we introduced to undercut the need for abortions? "

https://qz.com/857273/the-sharpest-drops-in-abortion-rates-in-america-have-been-under-democratic-presidents/

The sharpest drops in abortion rates in America have been under Democratic presidents
By Neha Thirani BagriDecember 7, 2016

...The reason for the trend is simple: access to contraception is more effective in reducing the number of abortions than regulation that controls access—and under Democratic leadership, access to affordable contraception has increased.

The Democratic Party’s platformhas emphasized the need to protect women’s reproductive rights, including access to no-cost contraception and funding for organizations like Planned Parenthood that offer family planning services. Under the Obama administration, the contraceptive mandate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) became effective in 2012, and most health care plans began to cover birth control without co-pays in January 2013. From 2012 to 2013, the abortion rate dropped 5% from 13.2 to 12.5 abortions per 1,000 women.

On the other hand, George W. Bush pushed for funding abstinence-only sex education, and throughout the Obama administration, the Republican Party has consistently attempted to limit the contraception access provided by the ACA. Fear that the Trump administration would repeal the ACA—and with it, access to free birth control—caused women to rush to buy long-acting birth control in the immediate aftermath of the recent election. Trump’s pick for the head of the Department of Health and Human Services, Tom Price, has actively opposed providing women with free birth control.

The numbers prove the Democratic Party’s policies are more likely to limit abortions than those offered by Republicans. Unintended pregnancies account for over 90% of all abortions, according to a 2012 Brookings Institution report. Reducing that number through access to birth control leads to a sharp drop in abortion: according to research from the Guttmacher Institute, the steep drop in abortion rates between 2008 and 2011 was driven by a fall in unintended pregnancies, most likely driven by better contraceptive use.

This was echoed by the conclusion of a recent CDC report: ”Increasing access to and use of contraception, including the most effective methods, can reduce unintended pregnancies and further reduce the number of abortions performed in the United States.”