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Latest Abortion Statistics — 2007 — for the USA
For the U.S.A. The number of abortions reported to the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) during 2007 (last available), and corrected for California's refusal to report abortion data (24% of total, with several other states' minor contributions), was 1,026,236. This is 29,158 (2.8%) fewer than the 1,055,394 reported for 2006.

However, taking a five-year average of such CDC statistics for the period, 2003-2007, the mean national abortion tally for the U.S. was 1,065,767 per year. When corrected further by the CDC's own estimate of at least 11% under-reporting, that tally grows to 1,183,000 per year, i.e. 3,241 per day, 135 per hour, or one abortion every 26 seconds.

Since 1973, over 53,000,000 abortions have been done in the U.S.A.  Just under one of every five U.S. children conceived is being killed!

Blacks had a 3-fold greater national abortion rate than Whites, and Hispanics, 1.3 times greater.
Put another way: nationally, of Black children conceived, 1 in 3 is aborted; of non-White, non-Hispanic, 1 in 4; of all U.S. children, 1 in 5; of Hispanic, 1 in 6; and of White children, 1 in 7.

Also, of abortions done nationally, 1.4%, or 14,502 per year, were done with the unborn baby 5 months or older, i.e. after “quickening.”

And maternal deaths due to “legal” abortion outnumber those due to illegal abortion by 3.6 to 1.
[August 2011, The Hippocratic Resource, Resource Roundup, vol. 11, nos.8-9]

 

 

 

 

INCIDENCE OF ABORTION IN THE USA, 2005 (latest statistics)


• Each year, about two percent of women aged 15-44 have an abortion (about 1 of every 5). REPEAT ABORTIONS: 47% of these women have had at least one previous abortion. [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]
 
• At least half of American women will experience an unintended pregnancy by age 45 [Jones RK et al., Repeat abortion in the United States, Occasional Report, New York: Guttmacher Institute, 2006, No. 29], and, at current rates, about one-third will have had an abortion. [Henshaw SK, Unintended pregnancy in the United States, Family Planning Perspectives, 1998, 30(1):24–29 & 46;  Guttmacher Institute, State facts about abortion: New York, 2006, <http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/sfaa/new_york.html>, accessed Oct. 31, 2007]
 
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%. [CDC]
 
• 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. [CDC]
 

• Women who have never married obtain two-thirds of all abortions. [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]
 
• About 60% of abortions are obtained by women who have one or more children. [CDC]
[Alan Guttmacher Institute, July 2008, http://www.guttmacher.org
/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html] 

 

 

 

 

How many abortions have occurred in the U.S. since legalization in 1973?

What are some characteristics of women who have abortions?

http://www.family.org/cforum/fosi/bioethics/facts/a0027730.cfm

[12Dec05, by Carrie Gordon Earll, CitizenLink, Focus on Social Issues, Quick Facts]

 

 

By age 45, 1 of every 2.5 women in the United States has had at least one abortion.
[Alan Guttmacher Institute,  http://www.agi-usa.org/  (click "abortion" at top left)]

 

 

BASIC ABORTION FACTS & STATS

•          On January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions (7-2 votes) legalized abortion in the U.S. through all 9 months of pregnancy by providing women with a ‘right to privacy’ and defining ‘health of the mother’ as physical or emotional.

•          The estimated total number of preborn legally killed by abortion in the U.S. 1973-2006, is between 48,000,000 (CDC) and 50,000,000 (AGI). These were future workers, consumers, tax payers, musicians, leaders, scientists, doctors, teachers, etc. These lives total more than the total population of 14 states: AL, AR, GA, LA, MS, TN, KY, KS, NE, OK, SC, ND, MT, and WV. 


•           Since 1973, abortion numbers increased until approximately 4,300 U.S. abortions occurred per day [1,550,000/yr, CDC figures]. In 1992, numbers began to drop slightly; by 1995, about 3,315 preborn were aborted per day. By 1997, the daily average number of abortions was 3,249 (1,186,039 preborn aborted in 1997). Since 1997, three states no longer report to the CDC (CA, AK/LA, NH); this makes it more difficult to estimate actual U.S. abortion numbers. CDC figures are about 12% lower than those released by the AGI (Alan Guttmacher Inst/AGI -Planned Parenthood). [AGI: 1,313,999 in 2000; 1.303.000 in 2001; 1.293.000 in 2002;  1.21 million abortions in 2005]


•           Only 1-2% of the approximately 1.2 million U.S. abortions each year are for the “hard cases” – rape and incest.


•           In the U.S., late-term abortions destroy ~15,000-18,000 unborn humans, aged 21 weeks or older (5-9 months pregnancies) each year; this averages to 40-49 late-term abortions every day [CDC, AGI]. [many for fetal body part sales]


•           17.1% of U.S. women obtaining legal abortions in 2005 were aged 10-19; ~ 33.4% were aged 20-24 years [CDC, 2005].

•           Although African-Americans compose about 13% of the U.S. population, Black women had 36.9 % of the 820,151 reported abortions in 2005 = 302,635 abortions [CDC, 2008; CA, LA, NH not reporting], 829/day, 35 Black babies each hour. The U.S. abortion rate for Black women is 3 times higher than for white women. This has been a consistent trend since the late 1970s.

•          In Alabama, 2006 data indicate that 11,654 abortions were performed at licensed abortion sites. At least 4,930 women were White and 6,523 were Black & Other.

•           While Blacks compose about ~28.5% of the population of Alabama, Black women procured approximately 55% of the abortions in Alabama in 2005 [CHS, ADPH, ACHS]


•           In 2006, 842 Alabama girls under age 18 (ages 12-17) procured abortions; ages 10-19 procured ~19% of AL abortions, and women aged 20-24 procure ~35% of all abortions.

•           At least 1 of every 4 women in Alabama has had at least 1 abortion.

•           About 32 preborn babies are aborted in Alabama each day.


•           Approximately 3315 preborn babies are aborted each day in the USA (AGI – 1,210,000 abortions in 2005).


•           Approximately 47% of all abortions are now repeat abortions.

•           Research studies have shown the risk of substance abuse in women increases 4-5 times following an abortion. The risk of suicide increases about 6 times after abortion.


•           Over 26 studies worldwide and 13 of 16 American research studies show a significant relationship between first pregnancy, Abortion, and the development of Breast Cancer (ABC Link). One study (Dahling) indicates that girls under 18 who abort their first pregnancy increase their risk of breast cancer by 150%. [www.abortionbreastcancer.com ; www.bcpinstitute.org] (Dr. Janet Dahling, Jrnl of the National Cancer Inst, vol 86, no.21, 2Nov94)


•           Compared to women who carry to term, women who have abortions are: 3.5 times more likely to die in the following year; 1.6 times more likely to die of natural causes; 7 times more likely to die of suicide; 4 times more likely to die of injuries related to accidents; 10-14 times more likely to die from homicide; (& a five-fold increased risk of drug and alcohol abuse among women who abort their first pregnancy).  [STAKES, Finland record-based study]

•           A 13-year study shows the maternal mortality rate after abortion is 2.95 times higher than maternal mortality after childbirth. Non-pregnant women had 57.0 deaths per 100,000, compared to 28.2 for women who carried to term, 51.9 for women who miscarried, and 83.1 for women who had abortions. Second study: women who had abortions were almost twice as likely to die in the following two years and that the elevated mortality rate of aborting women persisted over at least eight years [2004, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology; 2003 Southern Medical Journal]

•           After abortion, there is a 7- to 15-fold increase in placenta previa (a life-threatening condition) in subsequent pregnancies. Abnormal development of the placenta due to uterine damage increases the risk of birth defects, stillbirth, and excessive bleeding during labor.

•           A study of post-abortion patients only 8 weeks after their abortions found that: 44% complained of nervous disorders; 36% had experienced sleep disturbances; 31% had regrets about their decision.

•           The leading causes of abortion-related maternal deaths within a week of the procedure are hemorrhage, infection, embolism, anesthesia, and undiagnosed ectopic pregnancies.

•           Based on health care sought before and after abortion — on average, there is an 80% increase in doctor visits and a 180% increase in doctor visits for psychosocial reasons after abortion.

•           For more abortion complication studies/info at www.afterabortion.org.


•           Abortion is physically and emotionally harmful for women.

Abortion Hurts Women…

Abortion Is Forever…

[most data from CDC; AGI; www.afterabortion.org]