Abortion rates around the world have been declining, especially in developed countries.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit organization that “advances sexual and reproductive health worldwide through an interrelated program of social science research, public education and policy analysis,” reported that abortion rates around the world declined by 4 million between 1995 and 2003, and abortion rates within the United States have been declining for almost three decades.

The institute also concluded that making abortion illegal does not lower the rate of incidence.

The world’s lowest abortion rates by country, it reported, were in countries in Western Europe, where abortion is not only legal but also covered by the national health care system and unintended pregnancies are very low.

The Guttmacher Institute reported that the average of countries in Western Europe was 12 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age.

Penny Dickey, registered nurse and vice president for health services and education of Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa, said there is a link between access to abortion and access to birth control, which lowers unintended pregnancies.

“I think it is important for women to have access to all the health care they need,” Dickey said. “It makes a difference if you don’t have choices. I wouldn’t want a pregnant woman to be limited into being forced to be a parent when she doesn’t want to.”

Planned Parenthood facilities provide condoms, traditional birth control and annual exams, as well as pregnancy testing and abortion services. Dickey said the goal of Planned Parenthood was “to have every child that is born to be a wanted child.”

The Guttmacher Institute said the level of unintended pregnancies are a strong factor in abortion rates.

In Nigeria, which has a population of 125 million, where abortion is banned except in cases of life and death, one in five pregnancies are unplanned and half of those unplanned pregnancies end in abortion, the Guttmacher Institute reported. The institute said there were around 6.8 million reported pregnancies in Nigeria per year.

One-fourth of the women having abortions in Nigeria suffer serious health complications. According to the World Health Organization, about 97 percent of unsafe abortions occur in developing countries.

However, Guttmacher reported that in the United States, where there are 6 million reported pregnancies each year, one-half are reported to be unintended and about 42 percent of those unintended pregnancies are ended in abortion. Fewer than 1 percent of women receiving abortions in the United States have experienced serious health complications.

Iowa has legalized abortion except during the third trimester. According to the Guttmacher Institute, in 2000, Iowa had eight abortion providers and a rate of 9.8 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age.

Another facility in town that deals with pregnancy is Birthright.

Kathy Hanson, of Ames, has been a Birthright volunteer for four years. She explained Birthright’s goal and said “our guiding principle is that it is the right of every woman to give birth and every child to be born.”

Hanson said she volunteered because she is a Christian and believes that life is “God’s gift.”

Birthright does not provide access to abortion or contraception, but provides information to women seeking guidance. Hanson said Birthright exists to provide nonjudgmental support, so women are not alone when going through pregnancy.

“We discuss all of their choices,” Hanson said. “We do not talk about morality, chastity or contraception.”

Hanson did say she thought abortion rates were lower in developed countries because of the ease of access to contraception and information about contraception and sexual reproduction.

One group of women that has increased in abortion rates since 2000, according to Guttmacher, is that that lives below the poverty line in the U.S.

Hanson said a lot of low-income women do go through Birthright, but she doesn’t know what other types of resources are available to low-income women.

Dickey said Planned Parenthood provides discounted prices for family planning depending on the woman’s income level and family size. She said income levels do attribute to a woman’s choice to pursue abortion or not.

“I can only speculate why a woman does what she does,” Dickey said. “But I assume it’s related to financial impact.”