According to the North Dakota Department of Health, abortions in the state are at their lowest point in 35 years.
Red River Women’s Clinic, the state’s only abortion facility, committed 1,166 abortions in 2015, 98 fewer babies than the 1,264 aborted in 2014, with less than seven percent of pregnant ND women choosing abortion.
This follows last fall’s news that the national abortion rate is the lowest it’s been since Roe v. Wade mandated legal elective abortion for every state in 1973.
North Dakota Catholic Conference president Bishop John Thomas Folda hailed the news as “a testament to the hard and often difficult work of pregnancy centers, adoption agencies, maternity homes which have expanded and touched so many women and children during these years;” as well as “a testament to the commitment of North Dakotans to the culture of life at every level.”
However, Red River director Tammi Kromenaker credits increased funding and use of birth control with the decline. Live Action News’s previous analyses of such claims have found them to be overblown.
Americans United for Life identifies North Dakota as the eighth most pro-life state in the country for its laws restricting and regulating abortion. Live Action has published and referenced a variety of analyses demonstrating the effectiveness of pro-life laws in reducing abortion rates.
