Overview
Guttmacher Institute estimates
The abortion rights research and policy organization Guttmacher Institute estimates the number of abortions in the United States by surveying abortion providers. Every third year they attempt to contact every abortion provider. They ask for data for the two most recent years, and they estimate abortion statistics for the missing year by interpolation.
For 2020, the Guttmacher Institute reported 930,160 abortions, an abortion rate of 14.4 abortion…
Trends in abortion statistics
In 1973, the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision legalized abortion in all 50 states. From 1973 to 1980, the abortion rate rose almost 80%, peaking at 29.3 abortions per 1,000 women of childbearing age in 1980 and 1981.
From 1981 through 2017, the abortion rate fell by more than half, always falling faster in Democratic administrations than Republican ones. The abortion rate fell below the 1973 rate in …
CDC surveillance reports
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began abortion surveillance reports in 1969 to document the number and characteristics of women obtaining legal induced abortions. The CDC aggregates the information that the states and the District of Columbia collect to produce annual national estimates. Because New York City and the rest of New York State report separately, there are a total of 52 reporting areas.
Demographic statistics
In 2017, Guttmacher reported that almost 25% of women will have had an abortion by age 45, with 4.6% of 20-year-olds and 19% of 30-year-olds having had at least one.
Abortion rates tend to be higher among minority women in the U.S. In 2000–2001 the rates among black and Hispanic women were 49 per 1,000 and 33 per 1,000, respectively, vs. 13 per 1,000 among non-Hispanic white women. Note that this figure includes all women of reproductiv…
External links
• United States abortion rates, 1960-2013 at Johnston's Archive
Overview
Around 73 million induced abortions take place worldwide each year. Six out of 10 (61%) of all unintended pregnancies, and 3 out of 10 (29%) of all pregnancies, end in induced abortion (1). Comprehensive abortion care is included in the list of essential health care servicespublished by WHO in 2020. Abortion is a simple health care intervention tha...
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Scope of The Problem
When carried out using a method recommended by WHO appropriate to the pregnancy duration, and by someone with the necessary skills, abortion is a safe health care intervention. However, when people with unintended pregnancies face barriers to attaining safe, timely, affordable, geographically reachable, respectful and non-discriminatory abortion, they often resort to unsaf…
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Consequences of Inaccessible Quality Abortion Care
Lack of access to safe, affordable, timely and respectful abortion care, and the stigma associated with abortion, pose risks to women’s physical and mental well-being throughout the life-course. Inaccessibility of quality abortion care risks violating a range of human rights of women and girls, including the right to life; the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental heal…
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Expanding Quality Abortion Care
Evidence shows that restricting access to abortions does not reduce the number of abortions (1); however, it does affect whether the abortions that women and girls attain are safe and dignified. The proportion of unsafe abortions are significantlyhigher in countries with highly restrictive abortion laws than in countries with less restrictive laws (2). Barriers to accessing safe and resp…
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Who Response
WHO provides global technical and policy guidance on the use of contraception to prevent unintended pregnancy, provision of information on abortion care, abortion management (including miscarriage, induced abortion, incomplete abortion and fetal death)and post-abortion care. In 2021, WHO published an updated, consolidated guideline on abortion care, including all WHO re…
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