The rate of abortions performed in the US dropped to the lowest point since the Supreme Court legalized the procedure in 1973. A study published by the Guttmacher Institute suggests that new birth control methods have significantly reduced the number of unwanted pregnancies and the need for abortions.
In 2011, the latest year in which data is available, there were fewer than 17 abortions for every 1,000 women. That's a 13 percent decrease from 2008. This number is only slightly higher than the rate of abortions the year Roe V Wade was decided in 1973.
[jump]Experts believe the drop may be related to the recent popularity of IUDs (intra-uterine devices), like Mirena. These devices last several years and are not as susceptible to user error as condoms or oral contraceptives.
The experts also believe the economic downturn had an effect, as people tend to use birth control more faithfully during recessions. However, the lowered abortion rate likely had little to do with the recent flurry of laws restricting abortions, as most of these regulations went into effect after 2011.
Read more about this study and the recent push by religious groups to restrict women's access to affordable birth control and abortions at WashingtonPost.com.