An Overview of Abortion in the United States – from the Guttmacher Institute, Jan. 2008
Nearly half of all pregnancies to American women are unintended; four in 10 of these end in abortion.
About half of American women have experienced an unintended pregnancy, and at current rates more than one-third (35%) will have had an abortion by age 45.
Overall unintended pregnancy rates have stagnated over the past decade, yet unintended pregnancy increased by 29% among poor women while decreasing 20% among higher-income women.
In 2005, 1.21 million abortions were performed, down from 1.31 million abortions in 2000.
Nine in 10 abortions occur in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
A broad cross section of U.S. women have abortions:
- 56% of women having abortions are in their 20s;
- 61% have one or more children;
- 67% have never married;
- 57% are economically disadvantaged;
- 88% live in a metropolitan area; and
- 78% report a religious affiliation.
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For More Information
Fact Sheets
- Abortion in the United States
- State Facts About Abortion
- An overview of abortion laws in the states
Policy Analysis
- State abortion counseling policies and the fundamental principles of informed consent
- Public funding of abortion for poor women in the United States
- Promoting prevention to reduce the need for abortion
- Lessons from before Roe
- Envisioning Life Without Roe: Lessons Without Borders
Research
- Abortion in the United States: Incidence and access to services, 2005
- ‘I would want to give my child, like, everything in the world:’ How issues of motherhood influence women who have abortions
- Reasons for delays in obtaining abortions
- Abortion in Women's Lives
- Disparities in U.S. unintended pregnancy rates
- Who has abortions?
- Why do women have abortions?
