Abortions in Arizona dropped 3.7 percent in 2014, according to a report from the state Department of Health Services. There were 12,900 abortions reported last year, compared to 13,401 in 2013.
This means that 501 babies were saved from abortion in 2014. A greater number of 15- to 19-year-olds chose life, as well.The Center for Arizona Policy attributes the drop to record pro-life engagement, legislation protecting the preborn, and an increasing awareness about the humanity of children inside the womb. The group notes that between 2009 to 2014, Gov. Jan Brewer signed into law 24 life-saving measures that have directly contributed to the drop in abortions.
“When concerned citizens vote their life values, those votes lead to saved lives – both of preborn children and their mothers,” said Cathi Herrod, president of Center for Arizona Policy.
In 2013, Arizona enacted a law requiring Medicaid providers to cover non-abortion-related family planning services.
Existing law prohibits partial-birth abortion, late-term abortion, and sex-selection abortions. Arizona also requires a 24-hour waiting period with an ultrasound, informed consent about abortion risks and fetal development, parental consent for minors’ abortions, and medical standards for abortion mills. The state also places a variety of prohibitions on taxpayer funding for elective abortions.
But even as the number of abortions declined, the number of abortion-related complications increased by 34 percent to 137. In addition, 74 percent of minors’ petitions to waive the parental-consent requirement for abortion were granted.
In June, the Associated Press found that abortion numbers were declining in almost every state, for an overall national decrease of 12 percent.
The Department of Health Services report found than 98 percent of abortions were sought for non-medical reasons, and the report does not mention whether any were sought due to rape.
Over a third of women in the state were obtaining their second or third abortion, and almost none were obtained by non-residents. During the year, 72 percent of the year’s abortions were performed surgically, while 28 percent were performed by abortion-inducing drugs.
