“Eugenics Just Got Miniaturized”

John Stonestreet from the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview has a short, one-minute radio spot explaining a troubling way in which eugenics is making a comeback in our society.

Generally speaking, eugenics is the idea that:

  • Some people’s lives are made unlivable by the burden of disease or disability, or
  • Some people represent an undue burden to others due to disease, disability, ethnicity, or some similar factor.

Historically, the solution eugenics offers to this “burden” has almost always been to kill the person in question or forcibly sterilize them, preventing them from reproducing.

Stonestreet writes,

It’s the 19th-century pseudoscience at the root of Nazism and the U.S. Supreme Court’s infamous Buck v. Bell forced sterilization decision. But Eugenics, the idea that some lives are unworthy of life, is far from dead. In fact, it’s making a subtle and troubling comeback.

Doctors in the U.K. have just announced that they’ve pioneered the most effective embryo-screening technique to date, allowing couples with potential genetic illnesses to avoid giving birth to genetically diseased children.

‘Parents at risk of passing on a genetic disorder,’ said Paul Serhal, at the Centre for Reproductive and Genetic Health, ‘are faced with heartbreaking implications. . . [This] breakthrough…means that parents affected may be able to pursue treatment confident that their condition wouldn’t be handed down.’

Stonestreet goes on to say the “treatment” parents could seek would most likely be abortion. Listen to the full radio spot below.

[audio:http://bit.ly/1q4C4bp|titles=John Stonestreet – It’s Still Eugenics]

Abortion Drops Among Women Under 30, Remains Same Among 30+

Recently we wrote out a few points analyzing Arkansas’ 2013 abortion statistics. Today we have compiled additional statistics on abortion in Arkansas for the past 13 years.

  • The largest number of abortions performed each year were on women ages 20 – 29.
  • Abortions on women 29 years of age and younger have generally declined since the year 2000.
  • Women ages 30-34 and women ages 40 and older had more abortions in the year 2013 than they did in the year 2000, although the numbers rose and fell some during the intervening years.
  • Abortion among women ages 35-39 has fluctuated without showing the same consistent, significant decline we see in younger age groups.
  • The number of abortions performed on women ages 40 and older was higher from 2001 – 2013 than in the year 2000.

It is interesting that while abortion has dropped among women under 30, the number of abortions performed on women 30 or older has remained roughly the same or risen slightly since 2000. We hope to have more information on these trends in the future.

Below are charts and graphs showing abortion trends among each age group of women in Arkansas from 2000 to 2013:

abortion-all-time-chart

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Overview of Abortion in Arkansas (2013)

Recently we wrote about the Arkansas Department of Health’s report on abortions in Arkansas for 2013. We have analyzed some of the facts and figures in the 2013 report and the department’s reports for prior years. Below are some simple bullet points offering an overview of abortion in Arkansas for the year 2013.

Abortion Overview (All Time)

Abortion Statistics for Arkansas (Since 1973):

  • Since 1973, Arkansas has aborted approximately 210,665 unborn children. That’s 5,138 children each year, on average.
  • On average, abortion in Arkansas rose from 1973 to 1991.
  • Abortion peaked in 1991, with 6,889 abortions performed.
  • Abortion has been on a downward trend in Arkansas since 1991. (Figure 1)
  • The number of abortions performed in Arkansas has declined consistently each year since 2006.
  • Abortion’s decline in Arkansas does not appear to be tied clearly to increased access to contraception.

Abortion Overview (2013)

Abortion Statistics for Arkansas (2013):

  • 3,732 abortions were performed in Arkansas.
  • Abortion in Arkansas declined for the seventh straight year in a row.
  • 2013 was the lowest year for abortion in Arkansas since 1977.
  • 58% of abortions were performed on women ages 20 to 29 (Figures 2, 3, & 4).
  • 32.5% of abortions were performed during the first seven weeks of pregnancy (Figures 5, 6, & 7).
  • 87.5% of abortions were performed during the first trimester (Figures 5, 6, & 7).
  • 87% of abortions were performed on unmarried women (Figures 8, 9, & 10).
  • 41% of abortions performed in Arkansas in 2013 were on women with 1 or more previous abortions (Figures 11 & 12).
  • 7.5% of abortions performed in Arkansas in 2013 were on women with 3 or more previous abortions (Figures 11 & 12).

Abortion in Arkansas, All Time
Figure 1

Abortion by Age of the Mother (2013)

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