HARTFORD – A report released recently by the Connecticut Catholic Conference shows that the abortion rate in Connecticut continues to increase as the rate nationally continues to decrease.
The conference’s second annual report of its kind, which reviews the most currently available abortion and population data for Connecticut, reveals that the abortion rate in the state has grown by 15.5 percent between 2000 and 2007. The abortion rate, which is the most significant measurement of abortion activity, increased from 18 abortions per 1,000 women of childbearing age in 2000 to 20.79 abortions in 2007. The report may be viewed by clicking here.
Incomplete reporting of abortion information to the state remains a problem, the report says. Abortion providers increasingly continue to not accurately report the age and gestation period of their patients to the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH), as required by law. This situation raises concern about compliance with other mandatory state laws, such as counseling requirements for minors.
The report says that the Connecticut Department of Public Health is addressing this problem as a result of the reported findings.
The report also indicates that abortions generate millions of dollars in revenue for providers. The estimated annual revenue from abortions performed in Connecticut during 2008 was approximately $8.7 million. This is a conservative estimate based on the lowest fee charged by an abortion provider for an early abortion. The actual revenue generated may well exceed this estimate due to later term abortions, which incur a higher fee.
The report also notes a dramatic increase in use of the abortion pill, RU-486, among Connecticut women. The use of this drug has grown by over 640 percent between 2002 and 2008.
Other trends cited in the report indicate that most abortions in Connecticut are performed on state residents, and that the number of teens traveling into Connecticut to receive an abortion declined slightly from 111 in 2007 to 98 in 2008.
The increasing abortion rate within Connecticut appears to be unaffected by the ease of access to, and public knowledge of, various forms of contraceptives, the report says. This would be especially true of women in the 20-30 year age range, which is the age group accounting for most abortions, it adds.
