Reported Increase In Conn. Abortions Leads Catholic Leaders To Call For Stricter Regulations

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 26 Jan 2009 - 0:00 PDT

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A reported increase in abortion rates in Connecticut has prompted some Catholic leaders in the state to call for greater restrictions on the procedure, including adult notification laws for girls younger than age 18 seeking abortions, the Hartford Courant reports (Levin Becker, Hartford Courant, 1/22). According to a report released Wednesday by the Connecticut Catholic Conference, abortions in the state have increased by 12% between 2000 and 2007, despite a nationwide decline in the procedure. Although the report found an increase in abortion rates among all age groups, the organization has expressed particular concern about abortions among young people (Haigh, AP/Boston Globe, 1/21). However, Catholic officials could face a "difficult fight" in advocating for stricter abortion laws, particularly because Connecticut lawmakers have rejected notification bills in the past, the Courant reports.

Michael Culhane, executive director of CCC, said that more than 30 states currently require parental notification or consent before a minor can have an abortion, and Connecticut's lack of parental notification laws might account for the large number of out-of-state teens who seek abortions in the state. According to the report, of the 643 minors who received abortions in Connecticut from 2002 to 2007, 590 were residents of Rhode Island or Massachusetts, which have notification laws. The Catholic leaders also have called for legislation requiring all girls younger than age 17 to receive counseling when seeking abortions, an increase from the current age of 15. In addition, the officials are lobbying to require abortion providers to notify authorities before performing an abortion on a girl younger than age 13. However, Connecticut's Select Committee on Children on Wednesday placed a hold on this proposal because it duplicates the purpose of an existing law, state Sen. Edward Meyer (D), committee vice chair, said. Although some advocates claim that parental notification laws could help identify sexual predators, opponents of such laws say that abortion providers already advise minors to inform someone about their pregnancy. In addition, some pregnancies could involve situations of abuse within a family or other situations that could endanger young women, opponents say.

According to the Courant, it is unclear why abortion rates have increased in Connecticut. Some Catholic leaders have proposed that the state's history of allowing abortions might have caused the procedure to become an accepted form of birth control. However, Susan Yolen, spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of Connecticut, said the current economic downturn might have created challenges for families who lost medical coverage or could not pay for contraception (Hartford Courant, 1/22). Yolen said, "I hope that rather than being waylaid by this sort of regulatory approach, that there might be some thinking about family planning services, increasing access to affordable or free services." She added that although the report found a recent increase in abortions in Connecticut, rates for the past 10 years demonstrate an overall decline in abortions statewide, especially when compared with rates from the late 1980s and early 1990s (AP/Boston Globe, 1/21). According to Yolen, reducing abortions in Connecticut will require improved education and prevention methods, including "giving people all the tools they need to prevent disease, not just pregnancy and abortion" (Hartford Courant, 1/22).

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