Abortion rate in America hits lowest level in four decades

A new report published by the Guttmacher Institute on Tuesday revealed that the abortion rate in the U.S. has reached its lowest level since the procedure was legalized in 1973.

The total number of abortions dropped below a million for the first time, according to the study. The census conducted by Guttmacher indicated that there were 958,700 abortions performed in 2013 and 926,190 in 2014.

The abortion rate peaked at 29.3 in 1980 and 1981 while the total number of abortions reached 1.6 million in 1990.

The authors of the study speculated that the availability of contraception and the recently adopted restrictions on abortion contributed to the decline which stretches back to the early 1980s.

Americans United for Life (AUL), a group that helps state legislators pass pro-life laws, cited policies protecting the unborn as well as technology in explaining the trend.

AUL Acting President Clark Forsythe noted that the images produced by the ultrasound were a contributing factor in lowering abortions.

"Such pictures are worth more than a thousand words when it comes to helping people understand whose lives are on the line," Forsythe said in a statement, according to Baptist Press.

Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), attributed the decline to the work of pro-life advocates across the nation. He stated that the pro-life community should continue working against the abortion industry despite the downward trend.

"While a lower rate is undoubtedly good news, the violent taking of the life of even one unborn child ought to cause us to weep and redouble our efforts to protect every human life and contend against the predatory abortion industry," Moore told the Baptist Press.

The Guttmacher Institute, which is affiliated with the abortion rights movement, noted that the reduction in abortion clinics may also be a contributing factor.

The report noted that abortion clinics made up 16 percent of all abortion facilities in 2014, but it performed 59 percent of all abortions. Between 2011 and 2014, the number of abortion clinics fell by 17 percent.

The study conducted by the institute was based partly on estimates, but it covers all 50 states. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which also published a report showing a decline in abortion rates in December, does not require states to provide information on abortions. California, Maryland and New Hampshire did not submit data to the CDC.