The most reliable source of information for abortion statistics in the U.S. is the Guttmacher Institute. The CDC also collects data, but states are not required to report their abortion totals to the CDC and several states are not counted at all. Therefore, the CDC statistics are far lower than the more accurate numbers from the Guttmacher Institute.

For example, the CDC reported 825,564 abortions for 2008, while the Guttmacher Institute reported 1,212,350. According to the National Right to Life Committee, based on information from the Guttmacher Institute, there have been 58,586,256 abortions in the U.S. since the passage of Roe v. Wade in 1973. The number of abortions peaked at 1.6 million in 1990 and has been dropping since then. After leveling off at about 1.2 million a year in the mid-2000s, the most recent reports show the annual total down to just over 1 million, and not the 644,435 for 2013 as reported by the CDC and as stated by the editor in his note to my letter.

The reason for my letter which was to point out that abortion, sadly, is the leading cause of death in the U.S. and has been for many, many years.

Leon Garot

Glenwood Springs