This isn’t going to sound all that shocking, but remember that this country is still wrapping its head around evolution: Criminalizing abortion does not reduce the number of abortions; it reduces the number of safe abortions. Contraception, however, does reduce abortions, according to an epic study of 197 countries.

The research was carried out by a pro-choice think tank, but you don’t have to be biased or even particularly clever to figure out that birth control prevents unwanted pregnancies and, therefore, abortions.

Guess what country, according to the BBC’s report on the study, has an abortion rate “among the highest in the developed world”? Hint: abstinence-only education. — PZS

BBC:

Even the UK, which has a relatively high rate, fares well in comparison to the US, where the number of abortions is among the highest in the developed world. The institute says this rate is in part explained by inconsistencies in insurance coverage of contraceptive supplies.

In much of eastern Europe, where abortion was treated as a form of birth control, abortion rates have dropped by 50% in the last decade as contraceptives have become more widely available.

Read more