ABORTION – STATISTICS

ABORTION IN THE UNITED STATES An estimated 1.2 million abortions were performed in the United States in 2005, 8% fewer than in 2000. The abortion rate in 2005 was 19.4 per 1,000 women aged 15–44; this rate represents a 9% decline from 2000. There were 1,787 abortion providers in 2005, only 2% fewer than in 2000. Some 87% of U.S. counties, containing 35% of women aged 15–44, did not have an abortion provider in 2005. Early medication abortion, offered by an estimated 57% of known providers, accounted for 13% of abortions (and for 22% of abortions before nine weeks’ gestation). The average amount paid for an abortion at 10 weeks was $413—after adjustment for inflation, $11 less than in 2001. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2008, 40(1):6–16 Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, December 2007 39(4)

This unique analysis examines the ratio of babies conceived as it compares to the number of children aborted in the U.S.

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LEGAL ABORTION WORLDWIDE In recent years, more countries experienced a decline in legal abortion rates than an increase, among those for which statistics are complete and trend data are available. The most dramatic declines were in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, where rates remained among the highest in the world. The highest estimated levels were in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, where surveys indicate that women will have close to three abortions each, on average, in their lifetimes. Rates increased in the Netherlands and New Zealand. The official abortion rate declined by 21% over seven years in China, which accounted for a third of the world’s legal abortions in 1996.

The abortion rate varies widely across the countries in which legal abortion is generally available and has declined in many countries since the mid-1990s. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2007, 39(4):216–225

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“UNINTENDED” PREGNANCIES: THE ROOT OF ABORTION? • More than one-third of the approximately 205 million pregnancies that occur worldwide annually are unintended, and about 22% of all pregnancies end in induced abortion. [1,8, 9,10] • Of the 182 million pregnancies that occur in developing countries, more than one-third are unintended, and 19% end in induced abortion (8% are safe procedures and 11% are unsafe).[1,8, 9, 10]

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PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN MINORS’ ABORTIONS 34 states require some parental involvement in a minor’s decision to have an abortion 22 states require parental consent only; 2 of which require both parents to consent 10 states require parental notification only; 1 of which requires that both parents be notified. 2 states require both parental consent and notification.

All of the 34 states that require parental involvement have an alternative process for minors seeking an abortion.
*34 states include a judicial bypass procedure, which allows a minor to obtain approval from a court. ** 6 states also permit a minor to obtain an abortion if a grandparent or other adult relative is involved in the decision.

Most states that require parental involvement make exceptions under certain circumstances. * 33 states permit a minor to obtain an abortion in a medical emergency.
* 14 states permit a minor to obtain an abortion in cases of abuse, assault, incest or neglect.

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INCIDENCE OF ABORTION • Nearly half of pregnancies among American women are unintended, and four in 10 of these are terminated by abortion.[1] Twenty-two percent of all pregnancies (excluding miscarriages) end in abortion.[2] • Forty percent of pregnancies among white women, 69% among blacks and 54% among Hispanics are unintended. • Each year, about two percent of women aged 15-44 have an abortion; 47% of them have had at least one previous abortion.[3]

WHO HAS ABORTIONS? • Fifty percent of U.S. women obtaining abortions are younger than 25: Women aged 20–24 obtain 33% of all abortions, and teenagers obtain 17%.[7] • Thirty-seven percent of abortions occur to black women, 34% to non-Hispanic white women, 22% to Hispanic women and 8% to women of other races.** • Forty-three percent of women obtaining abortions identify themselves as Protestant, and 27% as Catholic.[3] • Women who have never married obtain two-thirds of all abortions.[3] • About 60% of abortions are obtained by women who have one or more children.[7] • The reasons women give for having an abortion underscore their understanding of the responsibilities of parenthood and family life. Three-fourths of women cite concern for or responsibility to other individuals; three-fourths say they cannot afford a child; three-fourths say that having a baby would interfere with work, school or the ability to care for dependents; and half say they do not want to be a single parent or are having problems with their husband or partner.[8] When women have abortions (in weeks from the last menstrual period) Eighty-nine percent of abortions occur in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, 2004.

MEDICATION ABORTION • In September 2000, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the abortion drug mifepristone to be marketed in the United States as an alternative to surgical abortion. • In 2005, 57% of abortion providers, or 1,026 facilities, provided one or more medication abortions, a 70% increase from the first half of 2001. At least 10% of nonhospital abortion providers offer only medication abortion services.[2] • Medication abortion accounted for 13% of all abortions, and 22% of abortions before nine weeks’ gestation, in 2005.[2]

REFERENCES 1. Finer LB and Henshaw SK, Disparities in rates of unintended pregnancy in the United States, 1994 and 2001, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2006, 38(2):90–96. 2. Jones RK et al., Abortion in the United States: incidence and access to services, 2005, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2008, 40(1):6–16. 3. Jones RK, Darroch JE and Henshaw SK, Patterns in the socioeconomic characteristics of women obtaining abortions in 2000–2001, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2002, 34(5):226–235. 7. Distributions published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adjusted for year-to-year changes in the reporting states and applied to the total number of abortions in Jones RK et al., Abortion in the United States: Incidence and access to services, 2005, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2008, 40(1):6-16. 8. Finer LB et al., Reasons U.S. women have abortions: quantitative and qualitative perspectives, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2005, 37(3):110–118.

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Abortion Views by Religious Affiliation Jan. 15, 2009

Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009 marked the 36th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark abortion ruling, Roe v. Wade (1973). Abortion remains a divisive issue in the U.S., with a slim majority (53%) in favor of keeping it legal in all or most cases and four-in-ten in favor of making it illegal in all or most cases. However, the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, conducted in 2007 by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life, finds that most religious traditions in the U.S. come down firmly on one side or the other. Religious beliefs and practices also influence views on abortion; individuals exhibiting high levels of religious commitment are much more likely to oppose legalized abortion in all or most cases than those who are less-observant. For an overview of the abortion debate in the U.S., public opinion trends, religious groups’ official positions on the issue and more, go to the Pew Forum’s abortion resource page »

Data on “Total U.S. Population” from October 2008 survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. All other data from the Pew Forum’s U.S. Religious Landscape Survey. For question wording, see the survey top line.

^1^”Other Faiths” includes Unitarians and other liberal faiths, New Age groups and Native American religions.

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Abortion Abortion remains a divisive issue in the United States, with a slim majority of Americans in favor of keeping it legal in all or most cases (51%); by comparison, more than four-in-ten (43%) favor making abortion illegal in all or most cases. Most religious traditions in the U.S. come down firmly on one side of the debate or the other. For instance, a strong majority of members of mainline Protestant churches, Orthodox Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus and the unaffiliated believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Conversely, a significant majority of Mormons, members of evangelical churches and Jehovah’s Witnesses say that abortion should be illegal in all or most cases. Catholics, Muslims and members of historically black Protestant churches are basically evenly divided on the question of abortion.

Views on abortion not only differ among religious traditions but also within them. Religious beliefs and practices significantly influence views on abortion, with those exhibiting high levels of religious commitment (on measures such as frequency of attendance at religious services, frequency of prayer or importance of religion in one’s life) much more likely to oppose legalized abortion than their less-committed peers. For instance, nearly three-in-four members of evangelical Protestant churches (73%) who attend church at least weekly say abortion should be illegal in most or all cases, compared with only 45% of members of evangelical churches who attend church less frequently. Similar patterns are seen among other religious groups, including members of mainline and historically black Protestant churches, Catholics, Mormons, Orthodox Christians and Jews; the more committed members of these traditions tend to be significantly more likely to oppose legalized abortion compared with less-committed members of the same traditions.

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REQUIREMENTS FOR ULTRASOUND: Over the past decade, several states have moved to make ultrasound part of abortion service provision: * 6 states require verbal counseling or written materials to include information on accessing ultrasound services.
* 12 states regulate the provision of ultrasound by abortion providers.
* 3 states mandate that an abortion provider perform an ultrasound on each woman seeking an abortion, and require the provider to offer the woman the opportunity to view the image. * 2 states require the abortion provider to perform an ultrasound on each woman obtaining an abortion after the first trimester, and to offer the woman the opportunity to view the image. * 6 states require that a woman be provided with the opportunity to view an ultrasound image if her provider performs the test as part of the preparation for an abortion. * 1 state requires that a woman be provided with the opportunity to view an ultrasound image.

REFERENCES 1. Sedgh G, Henshaw S, Singh S, Åhman E, Shah IH. Induced abortion: rates and trends worldwide. Lancet 2007; 370: 1338–45. 8. The Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI), Sharing Responsibility: Women, Society and Abortion Worldwide, New York: AGI, 1999. 9. Population Division, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, World population prospects: the 2004 revision, New York: United Nations, 2005. 10. Leridon H, Human Fertility: The Basic Components, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1977.

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MORE STATES CONSIDER MANDATING ULTRASOUNDS BEFORE ABORTIONS

Lawmakers in 12 states are considering bills that would offer or require ultrasounds before a woman gets an abortion:

• CT: A physician or counselor would be required to provide a woman with an ultrasound photograph of the fetus.
• IN: A woman would be required to view an ultrasound at least 18 hours before an abortion, hear the fetal heartbeat and receive a copy of the ultrasound image.
• KS: A doctor would have to tell a woman at least 30 minutes before performing an abortion that she has the right to view an ultrasound image and listen to the heartbeat.
• MD: A clinic providing abortions would have to be equipped with an ultrasound machine and offer a woman a chance to see it and listen to the heartbeat. The bill is currently restricted to one county.
• MO: A doctor or other “qualified professional” would have to offer the woman the chance to see an ultrasound and hear the heartbeat. They’d also have to provide a list of services that perform ultrasounds free.
• NE: At least 24 hours before performing an abortion, a doctor would be required to perform an ultrasound and display them “so that the woman may choose to view the ultrasound images or not.” A woman could also request a medical description of the image. An alternative bill would require a doctor to tell a woman 24 hours before an abortion that an ultrasound is available.
• NY: A woman must be offered an ultrasound.
• ND: An abortion couldn’t be performed before a doctor offered a woman the chance to see an ultrasound.
• SC: Already has a law requiring that women be given the option of viewing an ultrasound at least one hour before getting an abortion. This year, there’s a bill to make the waiting period 24 hours.
• TX: At least two hours before performing an abortion, a doctor would be required to perform an ultrasound and display the images “in a manner that the pregnant woman may view them,” as well as describing the images and letting her hear the heartbeat.
• VA: An ultrasound would be required, and the woman would be offered the chance to view the image.
• WY: Before performing an abortion, a doctor would be required to show a woman the ultrasound images “in a way the pregnant woman may view them,” and provide a medical description of the images.

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