1 is too many!
Fewer abortions for York County women
For the fourth straight year, fewer women and girls in York County had abortions in 2009, according to statistics released by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
And the staff at Human Life Services, an anti-abortion counseling ministry on South George Street, couldn't be happier with the decline, said executive director Lora Abel.
Abel credits advanced technology -- including ultrasounds which allow pregnant women to see a beating heartbeat on a 6-week-old fetus -- as well as the free educational resources and counseling offered to women, for the decline.
Eighty fewer abortions were performed on York County females in 2009, for a total of 581 -- compared to the 661 abortions in 2005, according to state's recently released abortion statistics.
"I can remember a girl who came to our office and was certain she was going to have an abortion," Abel said. "But when she saw her baby's ultrasound, she said there was no way she could go through (with the abortion)."
Increase in procedures: The number of abortions performed in York County for residents of all
counties and states, however, increased by more than 100, when comparing the state's 2009 and 2008 abortion statistics.
That bucked the statewide trend. Pennsylvania recorded 1,523 fewer performed abortions compared to 2008, bringing the total down to 37,284.
But in York County, 681 performed abortions were recorded in 2009, an increase of 123 abortions from 2008.
There has been only one abortion provider in York County for the past several years reporting abortion data, said Holli Senior, spokeswoman for the state's Department of Health.
And there are no abortion facility providers in Lancaster and Adams counties, she said.
Planned Parenthood: Of the three Planned Parenthood locations in York County, the only location that performs abortions is its York City office, said Suellen Craig, president and chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood of Central Pennsylvania.
There is also one Planned Parenthood location in Adams County, and another in Franklin County, Craig added, noting neither of those locations performs abortions.
Craig said the administration at Planned Parenthood researched the reason for the unusual dip in abortions performed in York County in 2008.
They found the change in physicians who provide abortion services was the reason for the decline, Craig said, noting females most likely opted to travel to another county or state for the procedure.
Young adults: Although many people tend to believe teenagers record the highest number of abortions, 20- to 24-year-old women accounted for more than one-third of abortions across the state, Craig said.
That age group also accounted for the highest number of abortions in York County, as well, according to state numbers.
About 200 York countians who had abortions in 2009 were between the ages of 20 and 24. Girls under the age of 18 require parental consent before having an abortion, said Craig.
And if the girl is 13 or younger, she is immediately referred to ChildLine because it's often a case of rape or incest, she added.
Fewer pregnancies: In an effort to reduce the abortion rate, Human Life Services began giving ultrasounds to its clients three years ago, so that the women could see their fetus in the very early stages of pregnancy.
"(National) statistics prove that when a women can actually see their baby (in the early weeks of pregnancy), they're less likely to go through with an abortion," said Abel.
No initiatives at Planned Parenthood have been set in place to deliberately reduce the number of York County women having abortions, said Craig.
But at the same time, Planned Parenthood has launched initiatives to combat teen pregnancy, which a recent report said also declined.
A 2010 York County Heath Profile showed 36 fewer pregnancies among York County teenagers in 2008, a drop of about 5 percent.
Craig said social media, as well as the organization's Peer Educator program across York, Adams, Franklin and Fulton counties, certainly could have played a part in the lower pregnancy rate.
-- Reach Lauren Whetzel at 505-5432 or lwhetzel@yorkdispatch.com.
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