Maine Abortions Drop to Historic Low, Down 23.3% Since 2010

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Sep 18, 2013   |   1:18PM   |   Augusta, ME

The number of abortions in Maine are down to a historic low and have dropped almost one-quarter in the last few years.

According to the recently released 2011 Induced Abortion Report from the Maine Center for Disease Control, Maine’s abortion numbers are at their lowest point since the days of Roe v. Wade in the early 1970s.

“The 2011 report indicates abortions in Maine plunged to a record low of 1,773. That’s an amazing 23.3% reduction in abortions from 2010, or 538 babies saved in just one year,” says Teresa McCann-Tumidajski, the director of Maine Right to Life. “For a 4th consecutive year, abortions in Maine declined at an astonishing pace. This is a watershed moment in pro-life Maine.”

From the recent peak total of 2,689 abortions in 2007, abortions declined by 916, or 34% during the 4-year period.

“This trend represents a pattern for life which cannot be denied or minimized. The people of Maine are speaking loud and clear: abortion is not the answer,” states Tumidajski.

According to Maine Right to Life, in 2011, abortion dramatically decreased in all regions of Maine. 15 out of 16 Maine counties report reduced abortion. (Only residents of Somerset County report an abortion increase.) Among the greatest reduction in abortions between 2010-2011 is from residents in Cumberland County (- 36%) and York County (-31%), which are Maine’s most populated counties. However, out-of-state residents accounted for 7% of all abortions occurring in Maine in 2011, which is a 57% increase from 2010.

“We want people coming to our beautiful state to raise their families here, not reduce them,” Tumidajski commented.

Abortion among young people in Maine aged 12-24 has decreased for 5 years in a row. From 2006-2011, abortions in this age group declined by 39.3% resulting in 569 fewer abortions. Maine’s young people are trending more pro-life with each passing year.

Since the record high number of abortions in Maine of 4,767 in 1987, abortions have decreased 62.8%. This decrease amounts to 3,371 Maine babies lives saved.

Maine women from all walks of life, from all areas in Maine, are increasingly choosing life rather than abortion for their unborn children.

“There is no single, silver bullet by which to attribute this phenomenal abortion decline. Decades of perseverance, education, and grassroots advocacy by thousands of dedicated pro-life Mainers has been instrumental in bringing us to this historic moment,” states Tumidajski.

“The marvels of modern technology have intersected with the eternal truth: life begins at conception, and each human life is precious,” Tumidajski added. “Thousands of ultrasound images of our pre-born babies are now the first photos of our children. Parents and grandparents proudly display these beautiful images on their iPads, and on their refrigerators. These images are used in Birth Announcements, and even Show and Tell for Kindergarteners who anxiously want to share a picture of their new little brother or sister with their classmates. At 8 weeks gestation, fathers and mothers can now see their tiny pre-born child kicking her legs and moving her little arms up and down. More and more states are enacting legislation that reflects the changing will of the people that want to restrict abortion on demand.”

For nearly 40 years, Maine Right to Life has worked to provide a voice for Maine’s most vulnerable via education and advocacy, reaching hundreds of thousands of Maine people. Over the past 16 years, Maine Right to Life’s advertising arm, Maine Vitae Society, has broadcast over 100,000 television commercials throughout Maine.

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Since 2005, Vitae helped educate over 130,000 young people with interactive visits to the pro-life website, Teenbreaks.com. Maine’s 25 Pregnancy Support Centers have opened their hearts and doors to women and men facing an unexpected pregnancy and have offered their love and life-affirming services for free, without the aid of millions of taxpayer dollars.

Maine Senator James Hamper (R) District 13, Oxford County, stated that the decline in Maine abortion “is an indication that the people of Maine are, once again, ahead of their representatives in Augusta.”

“Maine’s abortion numbers, rate, and ratio have plummeted in the past 4 years. The tide in Maine is turning in favor of life. We are changing hearts, minds, and behaviors in favor of life…one precious child at a time,” Tumidajski concludes.