The number of abortions being performed in the US fell 25 percent between 2008 and 2014, a new report has found.
While one in four women will have an abortion by the age of 45, that figure is a shadow of the previous rate – and experts claim it is likely down to more widespread use of effective contraception.
The biggest decrease was seen among 15-19-year-olds, dropping 46 percent in that time period.
However, the authors of the report by the Guttmacher Institute warn there remain many obstacles to obtaining abortions in many states.
Experts say the figures, published in a report from the Guttmacher Institute (pictured), are likely down to more widespread use of effective contraception
Indeed, the figures come just weeks after Daily Mail Online reported on the eight states that only have one abortion clinic left amid a nationwide resurgence of the pro-life movement.
The report found that in 2008, 19.4 of every 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 were getting abortions, but that number had fallen to 14.6 in 2014.
Now, at age 20, about five percent of women have had an abortion, while at age 30 nearly 20 percent have had one.
The new study revealed that the decline in abortions might be due in part to increased use of contraceptives, specifically among women aged 20 to 24, who account for one-third of unintended pregnancies.
A report released in September 2016 found that the sharp drop in teen pregnancy was down to rising rates of contraception used correctly.
Between 2007 and 2012, the number of new mothers aged 15 to 19 years old dropped 5.6 percent.
In that same period, sexual activity among teenagers increased – but there was also a notable climb in use of ‘effective’ contraception methods, like the IUD coil, the Pill and the injection, rather than condoms.
‘Adolescents’ uptake of any method, regardless of its failure rate, markedly reduces this risk,’ wrote the authors Laura Lindberg, John Santelli, and Sheila Desai from Columbia University.
They reflected on previous research that showed a similar drop in teen pregnancy rates between 1991 and 2007.
A number of reports had attributed this drop to declining sexual activity.
However, the authors insisted that the latest data unequivocally shows contraception is the root cause of today’s lower figures – showing a desire among women to delay motherhood.
The new CDC report also revealed that the infant mortality rate dropped to another all-time low to six infant deaths per 1,000 births.
There was also a drop in preterm births and cesarean deliveries.
The analysis also said that abortion rates among all demographics went down during the six years the researchers looked at.
Researchers Rachel Jones and Jenna Jerman who worked on the new report found that more and more, poor women are getting more abortions. In 2014, these women were responsible for 49 percent of abortions nationwide.
During that same year, women who were aged 20 to 24 received the most abortions – 34 percent of them.
Twenty-eight of every thousand women in this age bracket received an abortion during the last year the researchers analyzed.
Young women between 15 and 19 years old accounted for 12 percent of abortions during this time.
Nevertheless, the abortion rate among young girls that age had declined by a staggering 46 percent since 2008.