Planned Parenthood Study Refutes "Abortions Are Up" Claim

Back before the 2004 elections, researcher Harold Stassen wrote an op-ed piece in which he claimed that abortions are increasing during the Bush Administration and were decreasing under his predecessor, Bill Clinton. This information was immediately and effectively refuted at the time, but it started a debate which President Bush's pro-abortion detractors have used to delegitimize the pro-life position. LifeNews.com reports that Planned Parenthood's research arm, The Alan Guttmacher Institute, has found that abortions actually decreased during the Bush administration.

Prof. Stassen's survey only reviewed abortion trends in 16 states while Guttmacher's data surveyed 44 as well as other significant statistical anomalies. This caused Stassen to send a memo to FactCheck.org stating that the Guttmacher study was "significantly better" than his.

Read more about the updated data on FactCheck.org's website here.

UPDATE: LifeNews.com has reported a statement from Dr. Randy O'Bannon of National Right to Life. O'Bannon lauds the Guttmacher study and appropriately chides Democrat operatives who took advantage of the errant Stassen study:

"Pro-abortion Democrats have been pushing the myth ever since the election that abortions had increased since Bush took office," he said. "Turns out not to have been true at all."

"Many of those in leadership in the Democratic party seem to have suddenly developed an interest in reducing abortion, but if they were sincere, they'd be supporting pro-life legislation and policies," Dr. O'Bannon added.