By MEREDITH D'AGNOLO, Statehouse correspondent
(609) 396-9472
March 6, 2004
TRENTON - New Jersey had the highest teenage abortion rate in the nation, according to a 2000 national study released in February.
The state's abortion rate is 47 per 1,000 women ages 15 to 19, according to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, or AGI, a nonprofit group that studies reproductive issues nationwide. In New York, the rate is 46 per 1,000, while Pennsylvania is 17 per 1,000. New Jersey also had the highest abortion rate among black teens, 116 out of 1,000. This group also had the highest pregnancy rate at 209 per 1,000.
AGI senior research associate David Landry said New Jersey's abortion rate is high in part because abortions are more accessible in New Jersey than in other states. There are no laws in New Jersey that require minors to notify their parents before they have an abortion.
The study also shows that teenage abortion and pregnancy rates have declined nationwide. Phyllis Kinsler, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Central New Jersey, said pregnancy rates have been dropping for the past 10 years. Abortion rates are down in New Jersey from 1996 when the rate was 49 per 1,000 women.
Landry said there are many reasons for the decline in abortion and pregnancy rates among teens. Some have decided to postpone sex because they are aware of the risks.
"They know having a child now is a lot more costly than it was in the past," Landry said.
Other teenagers are more aware of birth-control options. Many use condoms to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs.
"What teens are proving is if you give them accurate and complete information and access to services, they will make responsible decisions," Kinsler said.
While abortion and pregnancy rates have declined, they are still higher than in other industrialized nations. The statistics show "we still have a long way to go," Landry said.
Marie Tasy, public and legislative affairs director for New Jersey Right to Life, said the abortion and pregnancy rates in New Jersey are disturbing.
"They are signs that something is gravely wrong in New Jersey," Tasy said.
Right to Life, the state's largest anti-abortion group, wants to redirect more funds into abstinence programs. Tasy said the groups that support and provide abortion services are to blame for the high rates of teenage abortion in the state.
"To throw more money into programs that have demonstrably failed is a gross misuse of taxpayers' hard-earned dollars," Tasy said.
Tasy also supports a law that would require all girls younger than 18 to inform their parents at least 48 hours in advance of an abortion. She said such requirements could account for other states' lower abortion rates among teenagers.
The AGI surveys all known abortion providers every four years to obtain its data.
To e-mail Meredith D'Agnolo at The Press:
MDagnolo@pressofac.com
Copyright 2004 Atlantic City Press
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