Dr. Michael New, a professor and researcher at The Catholic University of America, has reviewed 2018-19 abortion figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. He says abortions jumped 1.7% in that time period. A key factor behind many of those abortions, he says, is chemical abortions which jumped 12%.
Citing those same CDC figures, Dr. New tells American Family News he looked at abortion-supporting Illinois and its Medicaid program which started paying for women’s abortions in 2018.
“2019 is the second year in a row,” says New, “where the number of abortions in Illinois increased by more than 9%.”
The pro-life activist draws a sharp contract with West Virginia, where pro-life leaders passed a referendum in 2018 that prevents Medicaid from paying for abortions.
“Abortions in West Virginia,” he advises, “fell by more than 20% in 2019.”
The lesson to be learned, New concludes, is that public policy at the state level is determining the number of unborn children who survive abortion.
Regarding the history of abortion numbers across the U.S., New says abortion rates have dropped more than 50% since 1980. Unintended pregnancies have decreased since the '80s, he says, while more of those are carried to term now and thus bring a new life into the world.
