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In the US, abortions have increased by 21% since the US Supreme Court moved to criminalize abortion.
https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/induced-abortion-united-states
Following a 30-year decline in the number of abortions, the numbers have increased since the Dobbs decision. The notion that criminalisation prevents abortions and so safeguards the sanctity of life is pure nonsense.
Between 2020 and 2025, the abortion rate in the US climbed by 16% from 14.4 per 1,000 women 15-44, per year to 16.7.
Of course, we must put that 16.7 in perspective. It is high for a rich, industrial country.
But the global average is 35, and the Caribbean is an abominable 59.
Today is the International Day for Safe Abortion. The USA is moving in the wrong direction, and we seem to be reluctant to move at all despite the High Court’s decision.
We have had a criminal abortion law for more than 150 years and yet we have the highest abortion rate in the world. We love punishment, however irrational. And if the people we punish are weak and fragile, all the sweeter.
We want to control women, but we underestimate their resolve when they are faced with an unintended pregnancy.
And the technology of medication abortion and the Internet run in their favour. While in the US 13 states now have total bans on abortion, and scores of physical clinics have closed, virtual, online-only clinics have emerged. They now account for 24% of abortions. Similarly, we have a vibrant suitcase trade in pharmaceuticals across the region. We have neither the capacity nor the will to regulate it.
We need to shift from punishment to education, from raising barriers to providing
access, and from stigmatization to decriminalization.
If the sanctity of life is best served by fewer abortions, the path is pellucidly clear.
Sincerely,
ASPIRE
ASPIRE is a pro-motherhood, pro-family, pro-choice, non-governmental advocacy group registered in Dominica and five other Caribbean countries. It promotes research and dialogue with civil society and governments to advance fairness and justice in reproductive health.
