WOMEN’S RIGHTS — ABORTION RATES UNAFFECTED BY OUTLAWING THE PROCEDURE: A new global study “has concluded that abortion rates are similar in countries where it is legal and those where it is not, suggesting that outlawing the procedure does little to deter women seeking it.” While the rates of abortion are similar worldwide, the safety of the procedure varies widely. The study “found that abortion was a very safe procedure for women in countries where it is legal, but extremely dangerous for women in countries where it is outlawed and performed underground.” “The data also suggested that the best way to reduce abortion rates was not to make abortion illegal but to make contraception more widely available.” Unfortunately, the Bush administration continues to promote a failed policy of abstinence-only sex education and tie African HIV/AIDS reduction aid to groups promoting abstinence-only policies

www.americanprogressaction.org