Experts are at a loss to explain why the abortion rate in the city of New York is so high, despite all other health statistics such as those related to smoking and nutrition showing vast improvements.

It seems 2 out of every 5 pregnancies end in abortion a statistic which the Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York said was chilling. Oddly, the statistic has remained the same for a decade.

Unfortunately for pro abortionists this information is ammunition to all those in the US who are trying to reverse the laws allowing abortion to take place at all. One of the leading protagonists in this is State Senator Ruben Diaz who is urging all anti-abortionists to use this figure as much as they can in their battle.

Mr. Diaz also believes that allowing abortion is a direct attack on minorities. He told reporters: “They might think that we will take over, and that they’ve got to stop us. What they did, they are killing black and Hispanic children.”

Mr. Diaz is also a religious minister as well as a Republican senator.

Pro abortion health officials in the city say the high rate of abortion has a lot more to do with the poor social conditions of the people having abortions. They also point to legal barriers including activating proper sex education, not currently permitted. Many New Yorkers (particularly minorities) live in poverty and have an ambivalent attitude to sex and child birth.

The health officials suggest that if young people were able to access better information about birth control and so on, then the number of women requesting abortions would drop. The Roman Catholic Church however is opposed to birth control.

Susan Craig, a spokeswoman for the city’s health department said: “If you look at the pregnancy rates by race and ethnicity in New York City versus nationally, they are essentially the same for black and Hispanic teenagers, and lower for whites.”

New York is less proscriptive about when a woman can have an abortion.