8mm
Posted on 02/07/2007 4:24:42 PM PST by wagglebee
In 1985, 13.5 abortions were performed on minors for every 1,000 girls between the ages of 13 and 17. By 1999, the abortion rate for minors had fallen by over 50 percent to 6.5 per 1,000 teenage girls ages 13 to 17.
New, a political science professor at the University of Alabama, points out that only 20 states enforced parental involvement statutes in 1992 but that number increased to 32 by 2000.
Dr. New said that a strong economy and an increase in teenagers abstaining from sexual relations likely contributed to the decline.
But, "pro-life legislation enacted during the 1990s, particularly parental involvement laws intended to influence minors, were effective in reducing abortion."
According to Dr. New's study, parental involvement laws reduced the minor abortion rate by an average of 1.67 abortions per 1,000 females between the ages of 13 and 17.
In addition, restrictions on the use of state taxpayer funds through Medicaid reduced the minor abortion rate by an average of 2.34 abortions per 1,000 females between the ages of 13 and 17.
Specifically, the passage of a parental involvement law correlates with a 16 percent decline in the minor abortion rate, and the passage of Medicaid funding restrictions correlates with a 23 percent decline in the minor abortion rate.
"The results of two natural experiments indicate that pro-life legislation ... is responsible for the declines in abortion," New said.
New said some people may be surprised that abortion funding restrictions led to a greater decline in teenage abortions than parental involvement laws.
"While at first glance the larger effect of public funding restrictions may seem surprising, it is reasonable to believe that public funding could affect the decisions of minors because minors in many states are eligible for publicly funded abortions if their parents are on Medicaid," he explained.
"In the absence of public funding, many abortion clinics may shut down or move out of state, which may reduce the abortion rate among minors," New added.
New also found that states where parental involvement laws had been overturned did not experience the same large decline in the abortion rate on minors.
"Although the decline in the overall incidence of abortion during the 1990s has been widely reported, scant attention has been paid to the more dramatic reduction in abortion rates among minors," New concluded.
"While a number of factors may have contributed to this decline, the impact of pro-life legislation on the incidence of abortion among minors cannot be overlooked."
Related web sites:
Dr. Michael New's study - http://www.heritage.org/Research/Family/cda07-01.cfm
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This is great news. Especially considering the little progress we've seen on this issue at the federal level. The states are changing the laws and the dynamics of the debate, for the better.
Nancy Pelosi isn't going to like this one little bit!!
We have lost nearly 50 MILLION to abortion since 1973, statistically about half of them would have been female and many would now be having children of their own. And we would have tens of millions more taxpayers to lower the tax burden on all of us. Low population growth is totally due to abortion.
You won't get any argument from me on that point.
We should be promoting family, not killing it and bringing in strangers who have no roots in this country. Our own are part of the original tree planted in this land.
We should only invite those in that agree to share our dream and live under the shade of the tree already planted when we do open the door.
As it is, because they have no passion for this country and what it stands for, these hordes of immigrants plant a new tree of their own, instead of living under the shade of the one planted by our forefathers.
This spells doom for everything we once stood for under the constitution our forefathers established.
You look at the stories of the immigrants from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Many groups stuck together and kept many of their cultural traditions; but at the same time THEY ALSO BECAME AMERICANS, they became citizens, they voted, paid taxes, made sure their children learned English and within one or two generations they had totally assimilated into society. None of this is happening today.
You know, we are always told that "teens are gonna have sex - just accept it." But I wonder if women, and teen girls in particular, have a stronger ability to "just say no" if given the right tools to combat peer pressure. I think this is one instance where the all-empowering mantra of feminism could do young women a world of good - if they learned to tell boys "no," and reawakened their respect for women.
That is the all-purpose liberal rationale for evil. It works on any physical or moral disaster you can think of.
"KIDS ARE GOING TO ______ [Fill in the blank with the desired sin, perversion, high-risk behavior, drug, crime, depravity or sex act] ANYWAY. BETTER TO UNLOCK THE LIQUOR CABINET AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO DO IT AT HOME IN HYGIENIC CONDITIONS."
Hmm. It's a law of behavior that we all act in our own self interest, right? Obviously the liberals who make the most noise are predatory perverts harboring a secret lust for 12-year-old girls.
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