THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, January 6, 1997 TAG: 9701060062
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: DURHAM LENGTH: 43 lines
The number of abortions in North Carolina fell for the sixth straight year, a trend that activists and health officials say probably has been prompted by several factors.
Factors may include fewer pregnancies, less money in the state abortion fund and changing attitudes about the procedure.
In 1995, there were 29,895 abortions reported in 1995 - a 6 percent decline from 1994's total of 31,875, according to the state's Center for Health Statistics. The 1995 figure is the lowest recorded since 1982 and the sharpest one-year decline since at least 1992.
The state's abortion rate also fell again, from 19.5 abortions per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44 in 1994 to 18.1 abortions in 1995.
``I think it's really hard to pinpoint what's going on,'' said Janet Colm, president of Planned Parenthood for Orange and Durham counties.
Colm said she hopes the Tar Heel decline reflects that Planned Parenthood ``is having more success in preventing unintended pregnancies.''
The president of North Carolina Right to Life said the decrease could just as well be the result of a change in attitudes about abortions.
``We've seen more of a discussion on the issue from the perspective of the damage it does to that unborn child,'' Barbara Holt told The Herald-Sun of Durham. ``You have to point to many positive things that are part of the media and our educational efforts.''
National abortion statistics mirror North Carolina's downward trend. In 1994, there were 1.2 million legal abortions performed, a 4.7 percent decrease from 1993, according to preliminary federal data released Friday.
Susan Tew, a spokeswoman with the Alan Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health policy research organization in Washington, D.C., said part of the reason for the national decline may be that abortion services are harder to find in non-urban areas.
Lawmakers in Raleigh have also made it tougher for poor women to use state money to receive the procedure. The General Assembly reduced the state abortion fund from $1.2 million to $50,000 in 1995 and placed tight restrictions on who could use the money.
KEYWORDS: ABORTION STATISTICS STUDY