Abortion rate down in Iowa, report finds

As the conversation over abortion heats up in Iowa, a new report out Tuesday shows the abortion rate has fallen in the state and across the country, hitting its lowest number since the medical procedure was legalized in 1973.

The report - put out by New York-based Guttmacher Institute - compared the number of abortions performed nationally and on a state level in 2014 to those performed in 2011. It found that across the country the number of abortions performed dropped about 12 percent, to 926,200, in 2014.

That number has declined significantly since 1995, when it stood at 1.35 million. That means, during that time period, the rate of abortions performed per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 years old has fallen 35 percent, from 22.5 to 14.6.

In Iowa, that number has dropped 23 percent, from 5,640 in 2011 - or at a rate of 9.7 per 1,000 women - to 4,380 - or 7.5 per 1,000 women.

Researchers pointed to a rise in contraceptive use, especially long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC), such as intrauterine devices and the implant, as a cause for the decrease. Use of LARC increased 130 percent between 2007 and 2009 - a trend that continued at a slower pace through 2012.

In addition, the proportion of clients receiving long-acting reversible birth control - which is more effective than other forms - from Title X family planning clinics jumped from 7 percent in 2011 to 11 percent in 2014. Often, clients who go to Title X facilities, such as Planned Parenthood, are young and low-income - populations that accounts for a majority of unintended pregnancies, the report said.

The report also reviewed the number of laws put into place that restrict abortion access, finding that between 2008 and 2011, 24 states enacted more than 100 abortion restrictions.

This also likely had an impact on the drop, the report said, adding that eight of the 10 states that had the largest declines from 2011 to 2014 implemented at least one new abortion restriction.

However, the authors said there is no strong evidence that shows restrictions or clinic closures were clearly related to the decline.

What's more, when women are unable to access abortion services due to restrictive laws, some may turn to self-induced abortion. The report cited a 2015 study that estimated as many as 100,000 Texas women aged 18 to 49 years old had attempted to end a pregnancy on their own because of legislation that made accessing abortion services difficult.

The authors collected data from 868 facilities across the country through a questionnaire or telephone conversations. They also used health department data or made estimates based on abortion numbers from previous census results or service patterns.

l Comments: (319) 398-8331; chelsea.keenan@thegazette.com