The following MCCL news release was issued today, July 1.
ST. PAUL — Abortion numbers fell for the third straight year in Minnesota, according to the latest report on abortion issued today by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). The decrease is part of a three-year trend of fewer abortions statewide since the Positive Alternatives program has funded efforts to help pregnant women in need.
Positive Alternatives is one of several pro-life legislative efforts by Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL) to offer women life-affirming alternatives to abortion and to significantly reduce the number of unborn babies aborted each year.
"MCCL is very pleased to see that abortion numbers fell again last year," said MCCL Executive Director Scott Fischbach. "Even so, the fact that so many pregnant women last year believed that abortion was their only option remains a tragedy."
The annual Abortion Report shows that abortion providers reported a total of 12,388 abortions were performed in the state in 2009, compared to 12,948 the previous year. The 2009 total is the lowest number on record since 1975. The full reports for 2009 and prior years are available at the MDH website.
Positive Alternatives was passed by the Legislature in 2005 to establish a grant program through MDH. Grants are given to life-affirming organizations offering essential services to women; 31 organizations are currently participating in the Positive Alternatives grant program. A MDH report showed that more than 12,000 women statewide were helped through the Positive Alternatives program in its first two years (July 2006-June 2008), and 6,000 women received help in the program's third year. The fact that thousands of pregnant women last year still believed that abortion was their only option underscores the enormous need for women to find alternatives to abortion.
MCCL connects pregnant women throughout Minnesota with these and other pregnancy care providers every day. A comprehensive list of nearly 100 pregnancy care centers is available on the MCCL website at www.mccl.org and in print form in Spanish and English. MCCL is committed to guaranteeing that every woman knows about the life-affirming options and services available to her in the event of an unexpected pregnancy.
"It is crucial that every pregnant woman know that she does not need to have an abortion," Fischbach said. "There are literally thousands of health care professionals and compassionate volunteers ready to help pregnant women all over Minnesota facing unintended pregnancies."
* * MCCL will issue a more in-depth analysis of the MDH report later today * *
