The Connecticut Catholic Conference continues to monitor the issue of abortion in Connecticut with the publication of its ninth annual “The State of Abortion in Connecticut” report.
Throughout the years, this report has provided a concise overview of abortion trends in Connecticut, along with highlighting other issues related to this contentious issue within our state and nation. The conference hopes the information presented in this report will be informative and shape the public debate on this issue within Connecticut.
Trends:
- Since 2007, Connecticut has experienced a 31.6 percent decline in the number of surgical and medical (drug-induced) abortions. This trend is reflective of a national decline in the number of abortions.
- The significant decline in teen abortions continued for the eighth straight year.
- Abortions performed on girls younger than 18 years of age has declined by 69.2 percent since the ten year high in 2007.
- Abortion rates1across all age groups have seen a significant decline over the last ten years.
- Over the last seven years, there has been a very significant improvement (83.5 percent) in the reduction of the number of abortions being reported to the State Department of Public Health which lack critical patient information. The problem of incomplete reporting concerns two areas of significance: the age of the woman receiving the abortion, and the gestational age of the child being aborted.
Pregnancy Care Centers—Providing a “Choice”
Connecticut Pregnancy Care Centers (PCCs), sometimes referred to as pregnancy resource centers or crisis pregnancy centers, assist women in this state facing an unplanned pregnancy.
Many centers also assist mothers and fathers facing difficulty in providing the basic necessities for their newborn children due to financial hardship or other domestic issues. Currently, there are 24 non-profit PCCs in Connecticut which are operated by a variety of organizations. These centers service hundreds of women and children a year in this state.
The mission of the state’s pregnancy care centers is not just to help meet the material and emotional needs of their clients, but to help give women a real “choice” when facing the demands of an unplanned child. The centers want to let the women know that abortion is not the only option, or “choice” they can make. In a compassionate and non-judgmental environment the centers offer the “pro-life” choice to their clients.