Changes In Abortion Legislation Are Sweeping Across The Country. Here’s What You Need To Know

By Grace Carr
Daily Caller

Abortion legislation has historically been a hot-button topic among liberals and conservatives alike, and 2017 was no exception, with a remarkable number of abortion restriction increases and changes in legislation across the United States.

Conservatives and pro-lifers should feel encouraged after 2017 saw more wins for pro-life legislation than pro-abortion legislation. Including those adopted in 2017, states have enacted 401 abortion restrictions since January 2011, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Legislators in 30 states have introduced abortion bans, with six states enacting new laws in 2017.

A Mississippi House committee approved a bill Tuesday that seeks to outlaw most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. House Bill 1510 would ban women from having abortions after said time stamp, unless the unborn baby is not expected to survive outside the womb or if the woman’s life would be jeopardized by continuing the pregnancy.

Mississippi already outlaws most abortions after 20 weeks gestation. The measure will head to the full House for debate. No state currently bans abortion before 20 weeks of pregnancy. Twenty other states ban abortions after more than 20 weeks gestation.

A Missouri judge ruled in October that the state’s 72-hour waiting period is constitutional, rejecting Planned Parenthood’s emergency motion for a temporary restraining order on Missouri’s abortion laws. Missouri is also considering a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks gestation.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, signed House Bill 214 in December, effectively banning doctors from aborting babies testing positive for Down syndrome. The law penalizes doctors for performing abortions on pregnant women who receive a positive test that their baby will have Down syndrome, but does not fine or punish a woman who aborts her baby after receiving a positive test for the congenital disorder. The doctor who performs the abortion would be held responsible and would receive a fourth-degree felony charge, according to The Associated Press.

Down syndrome abortion bans have also been introduced in Oklahoma, Missouri, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Utah.

Daily Caller article continues here

Voices for Life is an e-publication dedicated to informing and educating the public on pro-life and pro-family issues. To read our Mission Statement, use this link.  Follow us on Facebook, Google, and Pinterest.  Help us spread the pro-life message by sharing our articles on your favorite social networks.

Pregnant, need help or know someone who does? 

National Hotline: Call 1-800-712-HELP or Text 'HELPLINE' to 313131.

In Southeast Penna:  Call the Community Women's Center at  215-826-8090

If you or someone you know is suffering after abortion, confidential non-judgmental help is available.  Call Project Rachel's national toll-free number 888-456-HOPE (4673) or visit hopeafterabortion.org.  

More Pregnant Women Choose Life Over Abortion Than Ever Before

By Michael New, Ph.D
Life News

Last month the Guttmacher Institute released updated abortion statistics for the United States. Their latest survey of abortion facilities indicate that the number of abortions fell by approximately five percent between 2011 and 2014. The short-term abortion decline is unsurprising. 

 The U.S. abortion rate has fallen steadily since 1980. Furthermore, these declines have been fairly consistent. They have occurred during times of economic prosperity and economic hardship. They have also occurred throughout both Republican and Democratic Presidential administrations.

However, what is interesting about these new abortion statistics is that the U.S. abortion rate has reached a historic low. Guttmacher has been collecting comprehensive abortion data from U.S. abortion facilities since 1973. The 2014 abortion rate is 14.6 abortions per every thousand women of childbearing age. That is a decline of over 50 percent since 1980. Even more importantly, the U.S. abortion rate is lower than it was in 1973 – the year that Roe v. Wade was decided.

This milestone is more important than many people realize. When the Roe v. Wade decision was handed down in 1973, there was still considerable cultural resistance to legal abortion. The modern policy debate over legalizing abortion was about six years old and supporters of legal abortion were losing momentum. 

No state voted to legalize abortion in either 1971 or 1972. Finally, New York was the only state in the United States where it was easy for out-of-state residents to obtain an abortion. In 1972 the New York legislature repealed the state’s liberal law, which was preserved only by the veto of then-Gov. Nelson Rockefeller.

Life News article continues

Voices for Life is an e-publication dedicated to informing and educating the public on pro-life and pro-family issues. To read our Mission Statement, use this link. Follow us on Facebook, Google, and Pinterest. Help us spread the pro-life message by sharing our articles on your favorite social networks.

Pregnant, need help or know someone who does?  

National Hotline: Call 1-800-712-HELP or Text 'HELPLINE' to 313131.
In Southeast Penna:  Call or text 610-626-4006  

If you or someone you know is suffering after abortion, confidential non-judgmental help is available.  Call Project Rachel's national toll-free number 888-456-HOPE (4673) or visit hopeafterabortion.org.