Reporting is All Over the Place
Like many of you, I have seen the pro-life headlines about babies being saved since Roe’s reversal, but then I look deeper into the studies and they are simply not what they claim. For example, one headline claimed 32,000 babies had been saved since Roe’s reversal. I researched and this headline is misleading. When reading the report, I discovered it only contained research concerning birth rate percentages. The study also admits the largest birth rate increase was among Hispanic women, which are the least likely demographic to abort their children.
Louisiana Right to Life released an article stating 1,652 babies had been saved in their state, but that is misleading too. The numbers they used were based on reported abortions inside the formal healthcare system. It did not count those outside the formal healthcare system. After Roe was overturned, Louisiana became the number one state for online abortion pill orders according to Aid Access. There were 1,455 requests in the same time frame as these supposed “saves”, from only one site (and there are 23 that I know of who send pills).
The Truth About Abortion Numbers
The first thing to realize is that abortion numbers either come from pro-life or pro-abortion sources. There is no unbiased source to find these numbers. I believe Guttmacher Institute, although they are a pro-abortion research group, has the most reliable data for abortion numbers and estimates because of the extra work they do to ensure their numbers and estimates are accurate.
According to Guttmacher’s latest report regarding abortion estimates through November of 2023, reported abortions within the formal healthcare system were 952,600. For December, let’s assume the estimate is 80,600 (which is what they were in December 2022). That gives a total of 1,003,200 abortions for 2023. According to historical data from Guttmacher, abortions within the healthcare system have not been over one million since 2010.
Not only are abortions increasing within the formal healthcare system, but more women are pursuing abortions outside the formal healthcare system. According to Aid Access, the largest online provider of chemical abortion pills, before Roe’s reversal they received 82 pill requests from the USA per day. After Dobbs and continuing, it rose to an average of 254 pill requests per day from just one pill provider.
Why Truth Matters
I heard a pro-life figure this week that “tens of thousands” of lives had been saved since the overturning of Roe, but no study or research I did support this statement.
Why does being truthful matter? Because our neighbors in the womb are being murdered every day and they have no voice. Spreading misinformation does nothing to help them. So here is the truth:
- Tens of thousands of lives have not been saved since Roe was overturned.
- Abortion is legal for pregnant women in all 50 states and in 27 of those states because of pro-life laws.
- Every major pro-life organization is fighting against equal justice for our neighbors in the womb.
For those reasons and more I repented of my pro-life compromise and became and abolitionist. If you would like to learn more about the abolition movement, please click here.
