The following news release was issued on July 1, 2015.
ST. PAUL — Abortion numbers in Minnesota increased slightly last year after having fallen for seven consecutive years to their lowest level since 1974, according to the state's 2014 Abortion Report. The report, issued today by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), showed that the vast majority of abortions performed in our state are done at five abortion facilities.
Nearly the same number of women had abortions last year as did in 2013, according to the latest report. The 2014 total of 10,123 represented an increase of 2.2 percent and the second-lowest annual number since 1975.
"Minnesota's five major abortion centers are not licensed or inspected by state agencies," said MCCL Executive Director Scott Fischbach. "This is all the more reason for women to turn away from the destruction of abortion and toward life-affirming alternatives."
State legislators have pressed for basic state oversight of the five remaining abortion facilities (two others have closed in recent years). Bills to license abortion clinics as outpatient surgical centers, which are licensed and inspected by the MDH, have been introduced in each of the past four years. The abortion industry has fervently opposed any licensing or inspection requirements, and Gov. Mark Dayton vetoed licensing legislation approved by the Legislature in 2012.
"There is no good reason for abortion providers to oppose being held to basic health facility standards," Fischbach said. "Their primary concern ought to be for their clients' health and safety, which would only be enhanced by state licensing and inspection."
More than half were performed on women in their 20s, and less than 3 percent on minors. A total of 12,231 women received the Woman's Right to Know informed consent information, meaning 2,108 women chose not to abort after learning about fetal development, abortion risks and complications, and abortion alternatives.
Today's report also shows that taxpayer funded abortions grew to 38.1 percent of all abortions reported in the state, the highest percentage since the 1995 Doe v. Gomez Supreme Court ruling requiring taxpayers to fund abortions.
Full reports for 2014 and prior years are available at the MDH website. MCCL will release a further analysis of the MDH Abortion Report later today.
