New survey says unwanted births on the rise

Federal researchers say that more American women are having children they didn’t want–women surveyed in 2002 said that 14 percent of their recent births were unwanted. In 1995, only 9 percent were unwanted.
The reason behind these numbers is unclear. Of course anti-choice groups are claiming the survey as a victory, saying that the research indicates a “pro-life shift” in the nation. (Leave it to anti-choicers to think unwanted kids are a good thing.)
Others–like myself–believe that the research reflects the rollback of reproductive rights and decreased access to contraception and abortion. For example, the Guttmacher Institute says that the number of abortion providers in the U.S. has fell steadily in the last ten years, from 2,400 in 1992 to 1,800 in 2000. Lawrence Finer, Guttmacher’s associate director for domestic research, noted in the LA Times that the increase of government restrictions have made it more and more difficult to provide abortions.
Oh and get this:

The proportion of unwanted births at time of conceptions was highest among girls under 18 — 25.4 percent. It was lowest among women 30 to 44 — 10.4 percent.

I’m sure that has nothing to do with abstinence education, limited access to contraception and the almost impossible hurdles teens have to jump to get abortions. Nah, they must have just run into the Fetus Tree or something and went through a “pro-life shift.” Sigh.