On May 18 the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services released their annual report on abortions in Michigan.
Abortions decreased 1.7 percent in 2015, down 44.7 percent from their high in 1987. Abortions performed on minors decreased 11.2 percent, down 78.7 percent since 1990. A total of 27,151 induced abortions were reported in Michigan.
Right to Life of Michigan President Barbara Listing said, “We would have liked to see a larger decrease, but these numbers represent almost 500 lives saved, which everyone should celebrate.”
Abortion numbers increased in Michigan in 2013 and 2014. It’s likely that much of those increases were due to failures to follow state reporting requirements in previous years. Michigan updated abortion clinic regulations in 2012, causing several clinics to close, at least one of which was known to be not reporting abortion numbers. Women are now going to clinics more likely to follow state reporting laws.
In debates over Michigan’s Abortion Insurance Opt-Out Act in 2013, abortion supporters claimed that legislation would prevent women from using insurance to pay for abortions. The law protected conscience rights of individuals by preventing them from being forced to pay for abortions though Obamacare health exchanges.
In 2012, there were 739 abortions in Michigan paid for by insurance. In 2015, there were 1,538 paid for by insurance, more than double the number.
Listing said, “As usual, the exaggerated rhetoric of abortion advocates proved to be completely detached from reality.”
In 2015 abortion rates declined, as well as the abortion ratios, meaning a higher percentage of women chose life for their children. Abortion numbers for Michigan residents and out-of-state residents both declined, ending the recent surge in women traveling to Michigan to have abortions.
The average age of women who have abortions continued its long-term increase. There was little change in the number of repeat abortions in 2015, 50.1 percent of abortions in Michigan were repeat abortions, 24.8 percent of women were having their third abortion or more.
Listing said, “Nobody talks about the fact that a majority of abortions are repeat abortions. Why are so few addressing this problem?”
There are hopes that abortions will continue to decline if Michigan can finally complete the Coercive Abortion Prevention Act this term. A significant number of women are coerced or pressured into having abortions.
Listing said, “Despite claiming to be champions of choice, the abortion industry has an incentive to ignore this problem; they deny it even exists. They won’t address it, so we will.”
