Abortion Facility Closures Behind Delaware’s Abortion Decline

Editor’s Note: Delaware’s clinic closures appear to be internally driven and due, in large part, to gross legal and medical violations surrounding multiple abortion practitioners in the state. The 2019 edition of Americans United for Life’s survey of state laws on abortion states: “Delaware maintains only minimal protections for a woman considering an abortion. ‘Loopholes’ in its parental notice law eviscerate the protection such a law normally provides, and Delaware does not require that abortion facilities meet minimal health and safety standards.”

Last month, The New York Times published an article about Delaware’s efforts to make contraception more available to its residents. Starting in 2014, Delaware partnered with the company Upstream to offer a range of free contraceptive services to women who visit health care providers.  According to the article, long-acting reversible contraceptives, like IUDs and implants, have been popular among both patients and doctors. Indeed, data presented in the article indicates that the percentage of Delaware family planning patients who are using a long-acting reversible contraceptive has increased since 2014.  The Times article is supportive of the program and even states that conservative critics should appreciate the fact that Delaware’s abortion rate dropped a year after Upstream arrived, and that the health department expects it to fall again.

However, a closer look at Delaware abortion trends raises questions about the role of this program in reducing the incidence of abortion in Delaware…

Originally published at CNSNews.com. Click to continue reading.