{"id":219915,"date":"2020-03-11T16:24:26","date_gmt":"2020-03-11T21:24:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=219915"},"modified":"2020-03-11T16:24:52","modified_gmt":"2020-03-11T21:24:52","slug":"someone-you-love-misleads-women-abortions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/someone-you-love-misleads-women-abortions\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Someone You Love Had an Abortion’ campaign misleads public about how many women have abortions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The pro-abortion organization Ultraviolet is rolling out a six figure \u201cSomeone You Love Had an Abortion\u201d\u00a0campaign<\/a> to normalize abortion and push the misleading narrative that one in four women will obtain an abortion in their lifetimes. A release from the group claims the\u00a0<\/strong>campaign was drafted to reach “progressive younger voters and moderate swing voters on Facebook\/Instagram and YouTube.” Shaunna Thomas, co-founder and executive director of Ultraviolet, claimed in a statement,\u00a0\u201cGiven that one in four cisgender women will have an abortion by the age of 45, it is time that our communities come together and love people who had abortions – because frankly, we all know someone who had an abortion.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the premise of the campaign, that one in four women will obtain an abortion in their lifetime, is flawed and extremely deceptive.<\/p>\n

This claim has been adjusted from the previous claim of “1 in 3 women” having abortions in their lifetime — a claim that was previously\u00a0debunked<\/a>\u00a0(see\u00a0Politifact<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0The Washington Post<\/a>). In\u00a02017<\/a>, Guttmacher updated the stat to\u00a01 in 4 women. <\/em>And by\u00a02018<\/a>, Guttmacher again claimed, “At 2014 abortion rates, one in 20 women (5%) will have an abortion by age 20, about one in five (19%) by age 30 and about one in four (24%) by age 45.”<\/p>\n

\"Image:

Ultraviolet Tweet one in four women abortion claim (Image: Twitter)<\/p><\/div>\n

Here’s the truth:<\/p>\n

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  • Guttmacher’s one in four number is based on\u00a02014\u00a0<\/a>abortion data, which is five to six years old<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  • Abortions have been on the decline, with Guttmacher’s latest report (2017<\/a>) noting that abortions have dropped to their\u00a0lowest rate<\/a> since Roe v. Wade<\/em>. This means the\u00a01 in 4 claim is based on 2014 data, which is likely outdated.<\/li>\n
  • Live Action News has documented<\/a> how previous estimates by Guttmacher never factually materialized.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    READ:\u00a0Media ignores glaring flaws in recent study on abortion regret<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

    In a report published<\/a> by CNS News, Dr. Michael New, an Assistant Professor of Political Science and Social Research at The Catholic University of America and Associate Scholar at the Charlotte Lozier Institute<\/a> explained the flaws in the 1 in 4 claim:<\/p>\n

    “The most widely reported statistic… is that one in four women will have an abortion at some point in her lifetime. The authors rigorously analyze first-time abortion data from various age groups to calculate that figure. Previously, many media outlets reported that one in three women will have an abortion. However, the \u201cone in three\u201d statistic appeared to be calculated by dividing the total number of abortions performed since 1973 over the current number of women of childbearing age.\u00a0Repeat abortions and population fluctuations were not carefully considered<\/strong>.\u00a0That said, the new \u201c1 in 4\u201d statistic should still be viewed with some skepticism. Abortion rates in the United States have been steadily declining since 1980. If trends continue, women who are coming of age today will be even less likely than their predecessors to experience an abortion.”<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n