January 22, 2009, marks the 36th 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 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), 1.206 million abortions were reported in 2005. This was a decrease from 1.222 million in 2004. Unfortunately, the government does not require that abortions be reported; therefore, truly accurate numbers on abortion are not available. While the national abortion numbers are dropping slightly, so many lives, including women and their unborn children, still need protection.
The abortion numbers in Texas have decreased by about 2% from 79,041 in 2006 to 77,811 in 2007. The reduction in abortions shows how hard our Pro-Life citizens have been working to educate pregnant girls, women, and their families. We pray that the 81st Legislative session will be successful in helping to pass legislation that will continue to spread the Culture of Life across Texas.
Currently, Texas is the 4th most Pro-Life state in the country, according to the 2008 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 has been enacted.
Induced Abortions as a Percentage of Reported Pregnancies
Texas Residents 1990-2007
|
YEAR
|
ABORTIONS
|
Annual Reduction Since 1990
|
% Reduction Since 1990
|
Total Lives Saved Since 1990
|
|
1990
|
90,051
|
|
|
|
|
1991
|
87,679
|
2,372
|
2.63
|
2,372
|
|
1992
|
87,230
|
2,821
|
3.13
|
5,193
|
|
1993
|
86,360
|
3,691
|
4.10
|
8,884
|
|
1994
|
83,823
|
6,228
|
6.92
|
15,112
|
|
1995
|
83,419
|
6,632
|
7.36
|
21,744
|
|
1996
|
87,677
|
2,374
|
2.64
|
24,118
|
|
1997
|
81,526
|
8,525
|
9.47
|
32,643
|
|
1998
|
78,887
|
11,164
|
12.40
|
43,807
|
|
1999
|
77,291
|
12,760
|
14.17
|
56,567
|
|
2000
|
73,155
|
16,896
|
18.76
|
73,463
|
|
2001
|
74,101
|
15,950
|
17.71
|
89,413
|
|
2002
|
76,278
|
13,773
|
15.29
|
103,186
|
|
2003
|
76,019
|
14,032
|
15.58
|
117,218
|
|
2004
|
72,441
|
17,610
|
19.56
|
134,828
|
|
2005
|
74,399
|
15,652
|
17.38
|
150,480
|
|
2006
|
79,041
|
11,010
|
12.22
|
161,490
|
|
2007
|
77,811
|
12,240
|
13.60
|
173,730
|
