11.13.2017
Media

No Matter the Statistic, We Stand With People Who Need Abortion Care

Whether it’s 1 in 3 or 1 in 4, abortion remains a common experience for people across the generations.

In a new study, the Guttmacher Institute examined abortion rates from 2008-2014 and found that abortion rates in the United States fell during this period. One in four women will have an abortion in her lifetime. The article attributes the decline largely to an increase in contraception, and notes that the astronomical increase in abortion restrictions also played a part.

Yes, the new data show that when effective contraception is available, more people will use it. But last week the Trump administration began to erode that access when it issued new rules allowing employers to cite religious or moral objections to the inclusion of birth control in their insurance plans.

In addition, the statistic belies another fact: abortion has become less and less available. In fact there have been more abortion restrictions passed in the last five years than in the entire decade prior. And just last week the House passed legislation that restricted abortion access even further.

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Abortion has been and always will be a part of our lives. This fact cannot be negated with a law; a political movement, or protesters outside a clinic. Even one person facing unnecessary obstacles to get abortion care would be too many – and tens or even hundreds of thousands of women face such obstacles each year.

People’s real lived experiences – the stories of our lives – show that we need access to the full spectrum of reproductive health care services, including birth control, abortion, and care during and after pregnancy. We have the right to determine if, when and how many children we should have. And we will not be shamed into silence. Not now, not ever again.

No matter the statistic–1 in 3 or 1 in 4–we will continue to share our stories, calling out abortion opponents for their audacity, for their distrust of women and for their misguided and dangerous attempt to make abortion less accessible. We have the right to accessible health care. And that health care must include access to birth control and abortion care. Anything less is reprehensible.