Foes Of Abortion Say Efforts Work Groups Claim Credit For Drop In Spokane’s Teen Abortions

The drop in teenage abortion in Spokane County can in part be credited to groups that teach abstinence and protest or provide alternatives to abortion, representatives of those groups said Thursday.

“It’s everyone together,” said Jim Anderson of Lifeline Ministries, a group that routinely protests at the Spokane Planned Parenthood clinic.

The abortion rate has decreased as the activism has increased, he said.

“Those kind of values we represent with our agencies are what young people are crying out for.”

State health statistics recently released show a dramatic drop in the teenage abortion rate.

In 1978 about half of pregnant Spokane County teens 15 to 19 had abortions, compared with only 36 percent in 1993.

The pregnancy rate, which measures the number of pregnancies per 1,000 teenagers, also dropped in Spokane County among 18- and 19-year-olds.

However, the pregnancy rate for girls ages 15 to 17 has increased, although the actual number of pregnancies has dropped.

Anderson spoke at a press conference, along with LeAnna Benn of Teen-Aid, Inc., an education group that teaches abstinence, and Paula Cullen, director of Crisis Pregnancy Center of Spokane.

The free pregnancy center provides information about abortion, as well as early prenatal care, pregnancy tests, counseling and other services.

While about three-quarters of the center’s clients are “abortion-minded,” only 4.5 percent of pregnant clients end up having abortions, according to information provided by Cullen.

“There is evidence that the private sector is doing a good job and doing it more efficiently than its counterparts who depend on government funds,” said Cullen, whose 4-year-old organization depends on private donations.

The speakers touched on a wide range of topics, including how the community should tackle teen pregnancy. More studies should be done, they said, to see what really works.

“Let’s look at this responsibly,” said Benn. “There is not a lot of prevention going on in our society.”