Story highlights Robert J. Walker: When low- or no-cost contraception is available, abortion rates decline

Congress should stand down on cutting contraceptive services, Walker writes

Robert J. Walker is the president of the Population Institute, a Washington nonprofit advocating for family planning and gender equality. The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

(CNN) The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that enactment of the Trump-supported American Health Care Act (AHCA) would result in 24 million fewer people having coverage by 2026. And while that will have many implications for Americans' health and well-being, here's something else to consider: The AHCA will also increase the number of abortions performed in this country, perhaps more than any single piece of legislation ever enacted by Congress, especially if all funding for Planned Parenthood is blocked.

Robert J. Walker

The CBO estimates that defunding Planned Parenthood in the first year alone would increase the number of births by several thousands and increase, in turn, Medicaid expenditures by $21 million in 2017 and $77 million over the 2017-2026 period.

But even if Planned Parenthood is spared, Trump's proposed rollback in Medicaid and contraceptive coverage will inevitably increase unintended pregnancies and the demand for abortion services

Research shows that when low- or no-cost contraception is available , the rate of unintended pregnancy and number of abortions goes down. By making contraception more affordable, the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, contributed to an 18-percent decline in unintended pregnancies since the reform was passed in 2010.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, that downturn contributed to a 14-percent decline in the US abortion rate between 2011 and 2014. The AHCA, on the other hand, by making contraception more expensive and less accessible, would roll back some or all of those gains.

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