Abortion rate in Pennsylvania drops to historic low, latest figures reveal

The abortion rate in Pennsylvania has dropped by around three percent, with 1,000 fewer terminations in 2016 compared to the previous year.

The latest figures released by the Pennsylvania Department of Health has shown that 30,881 abortions were performed in the Keystone State, a three percent drop from 31,818 the previous year. According to Life News, the most recent figures were the lowest level ever recorded in Pennsylvania.

"The decline in abortions is good news for Pennsylvania mothers and babies," said Maria Gallagher, legislative director for the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, an affiliate of National Right to Life.

"Our protective laws, scientific advances such as 4D Ultrasounds, and pregnancy resource centers around the Commonwealth are contributing to this encouraging trend," Gallagher added.

The report from the Department of Health has found that 80 percent of the abortions occurred in four counties, namely Philadelphia (14,626), Allegheny (6,080), Northampton (3,042), and Dauphin (1,504). It revealed that the largest contingent of women having abortions was in the age range of 20 to 24 years.

Gallagher had attributed the decline to the efforts of pregnancy resource centers around the state.

"The caring, compassionate individuals within these centers offer everything from diapers to day care referrals, from mentoring to maternity clothes to women and their families. These pregnancy centers are truly a lifeline for women facing challenging circumstances," she said.

"Make no mistake—every single abortion is a tragedy, because it is the taking of an innocent, unrepeatable human life. Yet, Pennsylvanians can take great pride in the decline in abortions, which has been aided by the loving alternatives to abortion that exist in the Commonwealth," she added.

The news about the decline in the abortion rate came just weeks after Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed a bill that would have banned abortions at 20 weeks into pregnancy.

Senate Bill 3, introduced by state Sen. Michele Brooks, would have also banned dismemberment abortions, otherwise known as "dilation and evacuation," which is the most common method used in second-trimester abortions.

A similar bill had been introduced in Pennsylvania in 2016, but the measure failed after it stalled in the Senate.

Current Pennsylvania law bans abortions after 24 weeks into pregnancy, but there are exceptions when the life of the mother is in danger.

Data released by the state health department has revealed that nearly two-thirds of abortions in 2015 occurred n the first two months of pregnancy and less than two percent were conducted between the 20th and 24th weeks. Abortions in Pennsylvania had peaked at 65,777 in 1980, but it has steadily declined since then.