Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good released a study that examined the drop in the abortion rate that occurred in the 1990’s and concludes that government social programs and economic conditions are the real drivers in reducing abortions. Mary Nelson has a good summary of the results:
Joseph Wright (Penn State University) and Michael Bailey’s (Georgetown University) examined the dramatic drop in abortions in the 1990s. The results are significant. States that spend more generously on nutritional supplement programs, for example, could see up to 37 percent lower abortion rates. Other factors such as cutting welfare more slowly and higher male employment rates had a 20 to 29 percent reduction rate.
The negative approaches don’t seem to work. Welfare caps on children born while on welfare and laws requiring parental consent for minors have only negligible impact. The study concludes that “pro-family policies reduce abortions.”
Both Republicans and Democrats should take note. The authors estimate that increased welfare payments and less Medicaid funding for abortions could lower the current abortion rate by 37 percent.
Read it all here. The full study can be read here (PDF file).