Abortion rate in Georgia declined sharply over past 25 years
The abortion rate of Georgia has been on the decline over the past quarter century, decreasing by nearly 20 percent, according to a report by the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
In an article published Tuesday, Maya T. Prabhu of the Journal Constitution examined the Georgia Department of Public Health’s vital statistics database.
According to the reported figures, in 1994 there were approximately 33,500 abortions or a rate of 13.7 abortions per 1,000 females between the ages of 10 and 55. In 2017, however, the number was approximately 27,453 abortions or a rate of 8.3 per 1,000 females.
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This decline occurred even as the population of Georgia increased from approximately 7 million people in 1994 to around 10.4 million in 2017, according to Prabhu.
The pro-choice research organization the Guttmacher Institute also published a fact sheet noting a decline in the abortion rate of Georgia in recent years.
“There was a 7% decline in the abortion rate in Georgia between 2011 and 2014, from 16.8 to 15.7 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age. Abortions in Georgia represent 3.6% of all abortions in the United States,” explained Guttmacher.
Guttmacher also noted that this trend of decline happened as “more states become hostile to abortion rights,” noting that states across the country passed 338 new abortion restrictions between 2010 and 2016.
“Congratulations to pro-lifers in Georgia!” declared Dave Andrusko of National Right to Life News, who labeled it “wonderful news” despite what he considered a slant to the Journal-Constitution story in that they had four pro-choice perspectives and only one pro-life viewpoint.
News of the decline in abortions comes amid the ongoing controversy over Georgia’s recently passed law banning abortions once a heartbeat is detected in an unborn baby, which is typically six weeks into a pregnancy.
Governor Brian Kemp, who signed the legislation in May, said at the official signing of the law that he believed “Georgia is a state that values life.”
“We protect the innocent, we champion the vulnerable, we stand up and speak for those that are unable to speak for themselves,” stated Kemp.
Pro-choice groups along with many prominent figures in the entertainment industry denounced the new law, with Netflix and the American Civil liberties Union working together to fight it.
“We have many women working on productions in Georgia, whose rights, along with millions of others, will be severely restricted by this law,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer, to Variety earlier this year.
“Given the legislation has not yet been implemented, we’ll continue to film there, while also supporting partners and artists who choose not to. Should it ever come into effect, we’d rethink our entire investment in Georgia.”
