30th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade, January 22, 2003
FIVE STORY IDEAS ON ABORTION

Abortion rates in the Netherlands are dramatically lower than in the United States, especially among teenagers.  Teens in the U.S. are nearly seven times more likely to have an abortion than they are in the Netherlands.  The difference has nothing to do with legality - abortion is legal in both countries - but everything to do with sound policies on sexual and reproductive health generally.

On that front, too, the U.S. and the Netherlands are worlds apart, and the results are shocking.  In the U.S., the teen pregnancy rate is more than nine times higher than in the Netherlands.  Similarly, the teen birth rate in the U.S. is nearly 11 times higher, and the teen gonorrhea rate is an astounding 74 times higher. 

One reason for the much lower teen pregnancy and abortion rates in the Netherlands is the broad public acceptance of the fact that adolescents will have intimate sexual relationships, and a rejection of the abstinence-only policy that is increasingly favored in the U.S.  The more open approach to sexuality favored by the Dutch has not resulted in higher levels of teenage sexual activity, as abstinence-only proponents insist it would if introduced in the U.S.  On the contrary, together with a widespread provision of information, access to contraception, and sexual and reproductive health care, the Dutch approach has not only dramatically reduced teen pregnancies, it has also helped to reduce STI and abortion rates.  In addition, young people in the Netherlands have their sexual debut later and have fewer sexual partners than their American peers. 

The ability to reach compromise is another element in the success of Dutch sexual and reproductive health policy.  That approach contrasts sharply with the situation in the U.S., where the policy debate is characterized by a deep polarization between two seemingly irreconcilable views: that access to abortion is a fundamental right or that abortion is murder.  The U.S. polarization on abortion has been described as 'the perfect recipe for stalemate.'

Sexual and reproductive health policies in the Netherlands also tend to be based firmly on public health research rather than on the agendas of those in power.  At a time when the U.S. has an anti-choice Administration and an anti-choice Congress set to consider a number of ideologically driven bills that would significantly limit American women's access to safe and legal abortion services, the Dutch approach demands to be taken seriously.

Useful resources for covering abortion in the Netherlands and the United States:

People who can give interviews or who can link journalists to other experts:

• Erica Pelletreau, Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health®, (646) 366-1890 ext. 13
• Lovisa Stannow, Pacific Institute for Women's Health, (310) 478-5330
• Bill Barker, Advocates for Youth, (202) 347-5700
• Rebecca Wind, Alan Guttmacher Institute, (212) 248-1111, ext. 2203
• Mark Daley, Population Action International, (202) 557-3446
• Evert Ketting, Dutch abortion expert, (01131-30) 692-3083
• Florian Willems, M.D., Dutch abortion provider, (01131-70) 351-2341
  
  

Relevant websites:

• www.advocatesforyouth.org
• www.guttmacher.org
• www.youthincentives.org
  
  

• "Adolescent Sexual Health in Europe and the U.S. - Why the Difference?  The Facts," Advocates for Youth
• "European Approaches to Adolescent Sexual Behavior & Responsibility: Executive Summary and Call to Action," Advocates for Youth
• "Adolescent Pregnancy and Childbearing: Levels and Trends in Developed Countries," Alan Guttmacher Institute
• "Sexual & Reproductive Health Policies for a Youthful World," (.pdf) Population Action International
• "Teenage Sexual and Reproductive Behavior in Developed Countries: Can More Progress be Made?," Alan Guttmacher Institute
  
  

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