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Higher contraceptive use and abortions in Russia

I haven't had a chance to read and analyze this study, but I wanted to pass it on to you in the meantime. The study, which compares contraceptive use and abortion rates in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine, is making pro-life activists happy.

From what I can gather on a quick reading, the authors compared declining abortion rates in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine, and noted that Russia's abortion rate is not declining as quickly as it is in the other two countries and remains high. They also determined that Russian women are more likely to use "modern" methods of contraception than women in Belarus and Ukraine.

These observations, taken together, appear to validate the pro-life assertion that more contraceptive use = more sexual activity = more contraceptive failure and unintended pregnancies = more abortions. In other words, the promotion of contraceptives, rather than abstinence as a means of preventing pregnancy, leads to more abortions.

Note that, from what I read, the authors do not conclude this. Instead, they appear to call for more study  regarding the divergence in abortion trends among the three countries. Also note that the LifeSiteNews.com article discussing the study does not mention that Russian abortion rates are in fact declining, though not as fast as they are in Belarus and Ukraine. It focuses instead on the fact that Russia's abortion rate continues to be relatively high.

Please read the article yourself and let me know what you think!

Link:

 Article published in PLOS One (November 30, 2012): Divergent Trends in Abortion and Birth Control Practices in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine

Article in LifeSiteNews.com (December 6, 2012): Study: Higher contraception rates associated with higher abortion rates in Russia

Here is the abstract to another study, published in Contraception, that pro-lifers like to cite regarding the contraception-abortion link (June 17, 2010): Trends in the use of contraceptive methods and voluntary interruption of pregnancy in the Spanish population during 1997-2007
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