35 Years after Legalized Abortion

January 22, 2008, marks the 35^th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. In 1973, the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton court decisions legalized abortion on demand in America. Since then, women have been able to legally terminate their pregnancies through all nine months of their pregnancies for any reason. However, on April 18, 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court finally upheld the Partial-Birth Abortion Act. This was a monumental step for the Pro-Life movement.

Chuck Colson of BreakPoint commented, “It took thirty-four years to get from Roe v. Wade to the first significant restriction of so-called ‘abortion rights.’ It’s a reminder that when it comes to eradicating social ills, we must never give up.” He went on to compare this victory with British Parliamentarian William Wilberforce’s victory in slowing the British slave trade. His victory came when he was able to pass legislation in 1788 that restricted the number of slaves that a ship was allowed to carry based on the ship’s tonnage.

This victory, although small, proved that the slave trade was vulnerable, just as our victory against partial-birth abortion proves that the abortion industry is vulnerable. Mr. Wilberforce, after almost 20 years of fighting, was eventually successful in abolishing the slave trade. Twenty-five years after that, slavery was abolished all together. We too—with patience, hard work, and diligence—eventually will be successful in abolishing the practice of abortion.

According to the most recent abortion records at The Alan Guttmacher Institute (the research branch of Planned Parenthood), 1.287 million abortions were reported in 2003. This was a decrease from 1.293 million in 2002. Unfortunately, the government does not require that abortions be reported; therefore, we do not have an accurate view of how many abortions are truly being committed. The national abortion numbers are dropping slightly, but so many lives still need protection.

The abortion numbers in Texas have increased by about 6% from 74,399 in 2005 to 79,041 in 2006. Any increase in the abortion rate is tragic and motivates us to redouble efforts in educating Texans about abortion and the many local assistance programs available to pregnant women.

However, Texas is now the 3^rd most Pro-Life state in the country, according to the 2007 Americans United for Life National Pro-Life State Analysis. These rankings are based on our Pro-Life legislature, public assistance to pregnant women, as well as the Pro-Life legislation that we have worked hard to pass.

Induced Abortions as a Percentage of Reported Pregnancies

Texas Residents 1990-2006

YEAR	ABORTIONS	BIRTHS + FETAL DEATHS	% ABORTIONS	Annual Reduction Since 1990	% Reduction Since 1990	Total Lives Saved Since 1990
1990	90,051	318,343	22
1991	87,679	319,788	22	2,372	2.63	2,372
1992	87,230	322,787	21	2,821	3.13	5,193
1993	86,360	323,969	21	3,691	4.10	8,884
1994	83,823	323,127	21	6,228	6.92	15,112
1995	83,419	324,706	20	6,632	7.36	21,744
1996	87,677	332,202	21	2,374	2.64	24,118
1997	81,526	335,798	20	8,525	9.47	32,643
1998	78,887	344,173	19	11,164	12.40	43,807
1999	77,291	351,240	18	12,760	14.17	56,567
2000	73,155	365,475	17	16,896	18.76	73,463
2001	74,101	367,407	17	15,950	17.71	89,413
2002	76,278	374,646	17	13,773	15.29	103,186
2003	76,019	379,632	17	14,032	15.58	117,218
2004	72,441	383,727	16	17,610	19.56	134,828
2005	74,399	N/A	N/A	15,652	17.38	150,480
2006	79,041	N/A	N/A	11,010	12.22	161,490