Contraception and Abortion

A 2018 study from the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-choice research organization, examined the use of contraception by women who had abortions between 2000 and 2014.

Using data from the Abortion Patient Surveys, assessments administered to women who obtained abortions at certain facilities, the researchers found that condoms were the most common contraceptive method used. They also found a significant increase in the proportion of women using long-acting reversible methods of contraception, like an IUD or hormonal implant, in the month they conceived. Furthermore, the estimated number of abortions attributed to these contraceptive users was greater in 2014 than in 2000, with 9,500 abortions in 2014 versus 1,800 abortions in 2000.

Individuals who promote comprehensive sex education and contraception over abstinence education often do so under the guise of reducing abortions. This motive is not backed up by research as researchers have found that more than half of women who had abortions between 2000 and 2014 were using contraception at the time of conception.