In final year of Roe v. Wade, abortion rates rose 5%: CDC report
In final year of Roe v. Wade, abortion rates rose 5%: CDC report ABC News
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Abortion Rates Increase in the United States
Abortion rates increased by 5% in the United States in 2021, the final year the procedure remained a constitutional right under Roe v. Wade, according to new federal data.
Overview
In 2021, there were 625,978 abortions reported, according to an annual report published Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This is a rate of 11.6 abortions per 1,000 women between ages 15 and 44.
This is a decrease from a decade earlier when there were 669,202 abortions reported in 2012 with a rate of 13.1 per 1,000 women. However, it is up from the 620,327 abortions reported in 2020 with a rate of 11.1 per 1,000 women.
Demographics
The report also looked at some demographics of who is receiving abortions in the U.S. In 2021, women in their 20s accounted for more than half of abortions at 57%.
Comparatively, adolescents under age 15 and adults aged 40 and older made up the lowest percentages of abortions at 0.2% and 3.6%, respectively.
Number of Abortions in the U.S. 2012-2021
HHS/CDC
The authors also noted the percentage changes may show the continuing decrease in adolescent pregnancies in the United States.
“From 2012 to 2021, national birth data indicate that the birth rate for adolescents aged 15–19 years decreased 53%, and the data in this report indicate that the abortion rate for the same age group decreased 41%,” they wrote. “These findings highlight that decreases in adolescent births in the United States have been accompanied by large decreases in adolescent abortions.”
Racial/Ethnic Disparities
There were also significant racial/ethnic disparities in abortion rates. Black women were the most likely group to obtain an abortion at 41.5%. White women were the second most likely group at 30.2% and Hispanic women were the third most likely at 21.8%.
In other terms, white women had the lowest abortion rate at 6.4 abortions per 1,000 women and Black women had the highest abortion rate at 28.6 abortions per 1,000 women.
Pregnancy Stage and Methods
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