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The number of abortions performed in Minnesota declined in 2008 for the second straight year and marked the lowest number in more than 30 years. Reproductive health advocates said the decline is due to access to birth control and education, while the state’s largest anti-abortion group says programs to persuade pregnant woman from having an abortion were responsible for the decline.
According to a report (PDF) released this week by the Minnesota Department of Health, 12,948 abortions were performed in 2008 – down from 13,843 in 2007 and the lowest number since 1975.
Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota said the decrease could be attributed to affordable access to birth control.
“The best way to sustain reductions in the need for abortion is to provide accessible, affordable birth control and accurate, fact based sexuality education to all Minnesotans,” said Kathi Di Nicola, PPMNS communications director. “Planned Parenthood continues to work with the legislature and in our clinics across the state to do just that.”
Di Nicola noted that 95 percent of the care PPMNS provides comes in the form of prevention. The organization provided more than 300,000 units of contraception, nearly 58,000 tests for sexually transmitted diseases, more than 20,000 breast cancer screenings and more than 17,000 cervical cancer screenings.
“The overall decline in abortion in nearly every category is positive news and a goal that PPMNS works toward every day in our clinics across the region,” she said.
Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, the state’s largest anti-abortion group, said the decline was due to the Positive Alternatives program, a faith-based, state-funded program that urges women considering abortion to forgo the procedure.
“This report demonstrates that Positive Alternatives is working for women and their unborn babies,” said Scott Fischbach, executive director for MCCL.
While MCCL is openly hostile to PPMNS, Di Nicola offered an olive branch in working to reduce abortions in Minnesota through education and contraception.
“We again call on groups like the MCCL join to with us in taking tangible, common-sense steps to prevent unintended pregnancy and reduce the need for abortion in Minnesota,” she said.
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7 Comments »
Comment posted July 1, 2009 @ 1:54 pm
…it gets hard to get through all the fanatical religous zealots protesting outside the clinics calling the girls who need the help whore and slut…
Comment posted July 1, 2009 @ 3:22 pm
I just compared the 2007 and 2008 reports. What you and Planned Parenthood failed to mention is that PPMNS increased its abortions last year to a new record amount–even in a year when abortions dropped significantly. Maybe DiNicola is right that PPMNS needs MCCL’s help, because PPMNS can’t stop itself from doing more abortions every year. It’s taking credit for the decline in abortions is empty and false.
Comment posted July 1, 2009 @ 3:36 pm
Positive Alternatives is NOT a faith-based program. In fact, no Positive Alternatives grant money may be used on faith-based or religious activities (see below).
In the Positive Alternatives FAQ: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/cfh/paa/faqs.cfm?searchtext=All&searchdate=010108
“Organizations may not use any grant funds to support religious worship, instruction, or proselytization, or to purchase religious materials. Grant funds can only be used to support non-religious services and activities.”
In the same way family planning dollars may go to abortion providers, promoters or referrers but must not be used for those activities, Positive Alternatives money may go to organizations who may have religious affiliations but must not be used for any religious or faith-based activity.
If it’s a problem Positive Alternatives money goes to faith-based organizations, you must also have a problem with family planning money going to abortion providers, promoters, and referrers. You can’t have it both ways.
Comment posted July 1, 2009 @ 3:42 pm
Also, I just read Oskar’s comment. He makes a good point. Planned Parenthood has been doing family planning work for years, yet their abortions in 2008 increased to an all-time high. Either they a) aren’t very good at their family planning work; or b) don’t spend the millions of government grant money on family planning very efficiently. You’d think after all these years they would have figured out how to effectively implement a strategy to help end unintended pregnancies, like they say they do. But if that’s what they’ve been doing, why are they continuing to increase their abortions while the overall abortion numbers drop? They act like they’re eager to reduce abortions through reducing unintended pregnancies. They didn’t contribute anything to the abortion decline, they only prevented the decrease from being a larger decrease. It must be good news for them to see that abortions overall are decreasing, so they can say their efforts to reduce them are working. Except they also get to increase their abortions while everyone else’s decrease. I guess they really CAN have it both ways!
Comment posted July 1, 2009 @ 4:40 pm
Maybe Planned Parenthood offers the most affordable care in light of budgetary reductions by certain “faith-based” politicians? Can’t have your cake and eat it too, I’m afraid.
Comment posted July 2, 2009 @ 6:37 am
“Reproductive health advocates”. There’s a sanitized euphemism. An accurate description of PPMNS in this case would be “abortion provider”.
Comment posted July 2, 2009 @ 12:40 pm
“pro-life” is a stronger euphemism than “reproductive health advocate,” and those on the left shouldn’t use it, since those falling under the term are actually “anti-choice,” or something similar.
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