May 31, 2005
THE ODDEST PARTISAN CHARGE OF '04:
DECADES-LONG DECLINE IN NUMBER AND RATE OF U.S. ABORTIONS CONTINUES, NEW ANALYSIS SHOWS (The Alan Guttmacher Institute, 5/19/05)
A new analysis from The Alan Guttmacher Institute shows that U.S. abortion rates continued to decline in 2001 and 2002, although the rate of decline has slowed since the early 1990s. The Institute estimates that 1,303,000 abortions took place in the United States in 2001—0.8% fewer than the 1,313,000 in 2000. In 2002, the number of abortions declined again, to 1,293,000, or another 0.8%. The rate of abortion also declined, from 21.3 procedures per 1,000 women aged 15–44 in 2000 to 21.1 in 2001 and 20.9 in 2002.
The Stassenmatics never did add up. Posted by Orrin Judd at May 31, 2005 5:27 PM
These numbers follow an overall decline in fertility.
The fertility rate among women younger than 21 is now the lowest ever recorded.
Apologies, I don't have a cite.
Posted by: Jeff Guinn at June 1, 2005 7:29 AMJeff: Perhaps "fertility" is not the best word. Presumably young women today are just as fertile as they were 30 years ago. So the question (assuming your stats are accurate, which I suspect they are), is why are fewer young women getting pregnant? Are they having just as much sex but using condoms and/or birth control pills more? Or are they having less sex? I suspect it's the latter, due to the Roe effect and the recent cultural assertiveness of cultural conservatives...
Posted by: b at June 1, 2005 11:25 AMb:
No, actually fertility is exactly the correct word, since fertility is what fertility does.
I suspect--hope, at least--that young women are having less sex, because they are coming to understand it is source of power in gaining the long term outcome most compatible with their self interests.
Posted by: Jeff Guinn at June 1, 2005 1:04 PMThe combination of delayed fertility and reduced abortion is a truly signal achievement of our society.
Posted by: oj at June 1, 2005 1:41 PMJeff: The 1st two definitions I find at dictionary.com for fertility are:
1. The condition, quality, or degree of being fertile.
2. The birthrate of a population.
I had in mind the 1st, you the 2nd. These two definitions describe quite different things--the 1st refers to an individual, the 2nd to a population. The 1st has not changed in the past few decades (since "fertile=Capable of conceiving and bearing young"), the 2nd has. That's both the beauty and the curse of the language, I suppose, and why I suggested that a different word might be better. What word to use I dunno...
Posted by: b at June 1, 2005 2:27 PM