Published in 1998 by the Duvall Project
The picture that emerges from national statistics about who becomes pregnant and who has abortions, is different from public perceptions and media images. According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, half of all pregnancies in the US are unintended, and half of these (about 1/4 of all pregnancies) end in abortion. It is estimated that 43% of US women will have an abortion by the time they are forty-five years old.
The profile of a typical abortion patient suggests:
- She is in her early twenties
- She is a white woman
- She has at least one child
- She has never had an abortion
- She has the abortion in the early part of the first trimester (8 weeks or less)
- She used contraception during the month she became pregnant
Age of Women Who Have Abortions
Women between the ages of 20 and 24 have more abortions than any other age group in Pennsylvania and the US. Nearly 1/3 of Pennsylvania women who had abortions in 1996 were between the ages of 20 and 24. Another 23% were between the ages of 25 and 29. Women in their twenties account for over half (55%) of Pennsylvania abortions, while teenagers account for less than 1/5 or 19%. J was 23 when she became pregnant for the first time.
She was in a new relationship with the man she eventually married and had one year left to complete nursing school. J knew that she wanted children someday, "there just wasn't any way to have that baby at that point in my life." She discussed the decision with her partner, who supported her choice to terminate the pregnancy. For J, having an abortion was "not ordinary, not dramatic, not huge." More memorable was her pregnancy a year and a half later. Prepared and excited to start a family, J gave birth to a healthy baby girl.
Race
White women obtained about 57% of all abortions in Pennsylvania 1996. This is consistent with national statistics that show that 61% of all abortions in the U.S. are performed on white women. However, the abortion rate (the number of abortions per 1,000 women) for white women is lower than the abortion rate for minority women. In Pennsylvania, minority women includes blacks and Hispanics, although persons of Hispanic origin can be of any race.
Number of Children
The majority of women, almost 60%, who had abortions in Pennsylvania in 1996 already had at least one child at the time of the procedure. 27% of the women had one child, 26% had two or three children, and 4% had four or more when they decided to terminate their pregnancy. Less than half, 43%, were childless. Most women having abortions intend to have children in the future (2/3).
Previous Abortions
The majority of women (57%) who had abortions in Pennsylvania in 1996 had never had an abortion. Another 27% had one previous abortion. Only 16% had more than one previous abortion.
F had just graduated from college when she discovered she was pregnant. She was in a relationship, but neither of them wanted to get married. F did not want to start a family alone, "I was not ready to raise a child. There were other plans I wanted to see through." F felt nervous about the procedure because she had never had an abortion. Making the final decision to terminate her pregnancy was ultimately an emotional relief.
When Abortions Occur
Pennsylvania statistics indicate that the majority of abortions (88%) occur within the first trimester. In 1996, 12% occurred during the second trimester, and one abortion (or 3/1000 of 1%) occurred in the third trimester.
"When I found out I was pregnant a million things ran through my head, none of them good. I remember feeling desperate, incredibly sad, and alone." K made an appointment with her doctor to confirm the positive test results. When the doctor asked K what she wanted to do about the pregnancy she answered, without hesitation, "I want an abortion." Because K was early in the first trimester, she had the option of having a medical abortion (a non-surgical method), which she chose. "I had an abortion because I knew, without question or confusion, that I was not prepared to have a child."
Contraception
Most US women (58%) who had abortions in the mid- 1990s used a method of contraception during the month they became pregnant. This number represents an increase since the late 1980s when 51% of women used a contraceptive in the month they became pregnant.
G, a 37 year-old woman was overwhelmed when she discovered she was pregnant.
On birth control pills when she conceived, the pregnancy was unplanned. G knew it was not the right time to have a baby. Raising her 14 year old son alone, "life is busy and full. It took time and energy to become established in my employment." Now that G is finally working full time, she feels more secure than she has in years. She is unwilling to sacrifice the financial security she can now provide for herself and her son. Emotionally, as well, she is not prepared to bring a new child into her life. G considers her decision to have an abortion, "a responsible one, at this place and at this point in my life."
The lives of these women are as mundane, hectic, unusual, and exciting as our own. In these stories we can recognize our mothers, sisters, neighbors, friends, and ourselves. Their words help us understand that for most women abortion is not a political decision or social statement.
Jill, a Duvall intern, researched and wrote this fact sheet.
The Clara Bell Duvall Project would like to thank all of the women who were generous enough to share their powerful stories.
Sources
"Induced Abortion," Facts in Brief, The Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1996.
Pennsylvania State Health Data Center, Abortion Statistics, 1996.
Research and production of this fact sheet were supported by grants from:
- Samuel S. Fels Fund
- Laurel Foundation
- Philadelphia Foundation
- The generosity of individual donors
|
