Proving once again that the passage of pro-life laws protecting women and unborn children and closing abortion clinics make a difference in saving unborn babies from abortions, new figures from the state of Iowa show a 40 percent drop in abortions over the last seven years. The drop follows the passage of pro-life legislation in the state legislature.
The Des Moines Register has more on the new report from the state health department:
The number of abortions performed in Iowa dropped nearly 9 percent from 2013 to 2014, according to figures released last week by the Iowa Department of Public Health. The 2014 total of 4,020 reflects a 40 percent decline since 2007, when 6,649 abortions were performed in the state.
“That’s a big number. It’s definitely moving in the right direction,” said Jenifer Bowen, executive director of Iowa Right to Life. Bowen said she’s always a bit skeptical of state abortion statistics, because they rely on reports from Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers. But she said figures nationally reflect similar shifts.
“It’s obviously a positive trend, no matter how you look at it,” she said.
Bowen believes at least part of the reason for the decline is that more Americans are deciding abortion is wrong.
The closing of abortion clinics in Iowa has played a crucial role in protecting women and unborn babies. As of June 2014, Planned Parenthood has closed 12 clinics over the previous two years.
One of the major reasons for the decline in abortions in Iowa undoubtedly has to do with the focus pro-life groups have placed on telemed abortions and decisions by state officials to prohibit webcam abortions in Iowa. After those decisions, Planned Parenthood closed a number of abortion clinics and abortion referral centers.
Such webcam abortions enable an abortionist to remotely dispense abortion pills to patients in other cities without leaving a central office. The abortionist visits briefly for a short time with a patient via an internet video conferencing system then clicks a button on his computer that remotely opens a drawer in front of the patient containing the abortion pills.
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“Operation Rescue has worked with other state and national pro-life groups since 2010 to bring an end to this dangerous abortion pill distribution racket that puts Planned Parenthood profits above the lives and health of women,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue in 2014.
n 2013, the Iowa Board of Medicine voted 8-2 in favor of new rules requiring that abortionists prescribing the abortion pill conduct a physical examination of the woman, be physically present when the drug is provided, and schedule a follow up to confirm completion of the abortion and evaluate the woman’s medical condition.
Polls found 66 percent of Iowa residents supported the ban.
At the time, Rep. Matt Windschitl, R-Missouri Valley, who sponsored the bill, said if women don’t have immediate access to an abortion-inducing drug, he hopes more might consider carrying a pregnancy to term.
“If that mother is now unable to go and get a webcam abortion, maybe it’ll give her a little bit more time to think about it,” Windschitl said. “That would be my hope.”
