World News and Trends: American abortion rate drops to 20-year low
The Centers for Disease Control report that 1994 marked a 20-year low in the abortion rate among women in the United States, with 21 of every 1,000 women 15 to 44 years old undergoing an abortion that year.
Although the rate has decreased, the number of abortions remains staggeringly high, with 1.2 million performed in 1994 and 1.3 million in 1993. The number of abortions in the United States peaked at 1.4 million in 1990. Since abortions were legalized in 1973, more than 25 million fetuses have been aborted—more than the population of many countries.
For every 1,000 live births in 1994, 321 abortions were carried out. This was the lowest rate since 1976, when 312 abortions occurred for every 1,000 live births. The profile of women seeking abortions has not changed from earlier years: Most are single, white and less than 25 years old.
Opinions diverge on reasons for the drop in the rate and number of abortions. Some pro-abortion groups cite the increasing difficulty of getting abortions, better access to birth control and harassment from right-to-life organizations. Abortion foes, on the other hand, attribute the decreases to their education efforts directing women toward churches, pregnancy centers and other alternatives to abortion. (Source: Associated Press.) GN
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: March - April 1997
Course Content
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
Scott Ashley
Scott Ashley was managing editor of Beyond Today magazine, United Church of God booklets and its printed Bible Study Course until his retirement in 2023. He also pastored three congregations in Colorado for 10 years from 2011-2021. He and his wife, Connie, live near Denver, Colorado.
Mr. Ashley attended Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas, graduating in 1976 with a theology major and minors in journalism and speech. It was there that he first became interested in publishing, an industry in which he worked for 50 years.
During his career, he has worked for several publishing companies in various capacities. He was employed by the United Church of God from 1995-2023, overseeing the planning, writing, editing, reviewing and production of Beyond Today magazine, several dozen booklets/study guides and a Bible study course covering major biblical teachings. His special interests are the Bible, archaeology, biblical culture, history and the Middle East.
