U.S. Abortion Rate Reaches Lowest Level Since Early ’70s

Abortion rates in the United States have been reaching record lows, according to
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There’s also
evidence of more abortions being performed at earlier stages in
pregnancies. 

In a new “abortion surveillance” report, the CDC
explores data from 2002 to 2011 and finds the total number of
abortions decreased 13 percent during this period. The abortion
rate—that is, the number of abortions per every 1,000 women age 15
to 44—decreased 14 percent, and the number of abortions relative to
births was down 12 percent.

Over this same time period, the CDC notes a 6 percent increase
in abortions performed at eight weeks or less gestation, suggesting
that women are catching and terminating unwanted pregnancies
earlier. In 2011, almost 65 percent of all abortions were performed
before 8 weeks gestation, and nearly all (91.4 percent) were
performed by 13 weeks. Just 7.3 percent of abortions took place at
14-20 weeks gestation and 1.4 percent at or after 21
weeks. 

Overall, there were 13.9 abortions per 1,000 women in 2011, down
5 percent from 2010. There were 219 abortions performed per 1,000
births, down 4 percent from the previous year. Analysts say the
decline has less to do with abortion restrictions passed in various
states than with the recession and an overall decline in
pregnancies and birthrates. 

Contra anti-choice rhetoric, America’s abortion rate has been
declining relatively steadily since the early 1980s. The CDC began
keeping track of abortion statistics in 1969. Since then, the
lowest abortion rate until now was seen in 1973 (16.3 abortions per
1,000 women) and the highest in 1980 (29.3 per 1,000
women).