Pespectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health
Volume 34, Number 5, September/October 2002

 

Patterns in the Socioeconomic Characteristics of Women
Obtaining Abortions in 2000-2001
TABLES

TABLE 1. Percentage distribution of women obtaining abortions in 2000 and 1994, and of all U.S. women aged 15-44 in 2000; estimated abortion rates for 2000 and 1994, and percentage change in the rate between the two years; and pregnancy rate and proportion of pregnancies ending in abortion in 2000--all by selected characteristics at outcome
Characteristic Women having abortions Women aged 15-44 Abortion rate* Pregnancies, 2000
2000 1994 2000 1994 % change Rate† % ending in abortion
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 21 24 -11 87 25
Age
<15 0.7 1.2 u u u u u u
15-19 18.6 20.6 16.0 25 34‡ -27 72 34
15-17 6.5 8.8 9.5 15 24‡ -39 42 35
18-19 12.0 11.5 6.5 39 48‡ -18 119 33
20-24 33.0 32.8 15.1 47 52 -9 159 29
25-29 23.1 21.4 15.6 32 32 0 153 21
30-34 13.5 14.4 16.5 17 18 -5 112 16
35-39 8.1 7.5 18.5 9 10 -3 50 19
>=40§ 3.1 2.3 18.4 4 3 10 11 31
Marital status
Married 17.0 18.4 47.7 8 9 -14 99 8
Previously married** 15.6 17.1 11.5 29 32 -11 67 43
Never-married 67.3 64.4 40.8 35 41 -14 79 45
Cohabiting††
Yes 30.7 20.5 18.7 55 57 -3 u u
No 69.3 79.5 81.3 29 36 -20 u u
No. of live births
0 39.1 45.4 42.8 19 26 -25 81 24
1 27.4 24.7 18.0 32 33 -2 151 22
>=2 33.5 29.9 39.2 18 18 2 64 28
Residence
Metropolitan 88.0 88.5 78.8 24 27 -11 u u
Nonmetropolitan 12.0 11.5 21.2 12 13 -10 u u
Poverty status‡‡
<100% 26.6 25.4 12.8 44 36§§ 25 133 33
100-199% 30.8 24.4 17.5 38 31§§ 23 115 33
200-299% 18.0 18.9 17.9 21 25§§ -13 87 24
>=300% 24.6 31.3 51.8 10 16§§ -39 66 15
Medicaid coverage
Yes 24.2 26.5 9.0 57 50 14 u u
No 75.8 73.5 91.0 18 20 -12 u u
Race/ethnicity
Non-Hispanic
White 40.9 48.0 68.2 13 16 -20 73 18
Black 31.7 30.0 13.7 49 54 -8 115 43
Asian/Pacific Islander 6.4 4.4 4.4 31 28 11 88 35
Native American 0.9 1.2 0.9 u u u u u
Hispanic 20.1 16.5*† 12.8 33 37*† -10 132 25
Education*‡
Not H.S. graduate 12.7 12.0 11.2 23 22 7 85 27
H.S. graduate/GED 30.3 30.4 30.9 20 20 1 73 27
Some college 40.6 40.3 32.5 26 29 -12 68 38
College graduate 16.4 17.3 25.5 13 19 -30 63 21
Religion*§
Protestant 42.8 37.4 51.0 18 17 10 u u
Catholic 27.4 31.3 27.5 22 25 -13 u u
Other 7.6 7.6 5.4 31 30 2 u u
None 22.2 23.7 16.2 30 46 -35 u u
*Number of abortions per 1,000 women in relevant subgroup. †Sum of births and abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44. ‡Differs from previously published figures, which were based on state abortion reports. §Denominator is women aged 40-44. **Includes separated women. ††Based on single women only. ‡‡Percentage of federal poverty level. §§Previously published AGI estimates of abortion rates by poverty status (reference 1) were inaccurate because of a programming error. *†Previously published figures for Hispanics (references 1 and 7) have been adjusted according to state abortion reports. *‡Limited to women older than 19. *§Limited to women older than 17. Notes: u=unavailable. Sources: see appendix (page 234).

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TABLE 2. Abortion rate per 1,000 women in 1987 and percentage change in abortion rate, 1987-1994 and 1987-2000, by selected characteristics
Characteristic Rate, 1987 % change
1987-1994 1987-2000
Total 27 -11 -21
Age
15-19 42 -20 -41
15-17 31 -22 -53
18-19 60 -20 -34
20-24 52 -2 -11
25-29 32 0 0
30-34 17 7 1
35-39 9 2 -1
>=40 3 1 11
Marital status
Married 10 -9 -22
Previously married* 40 -19 -28
Never-married 48 -14 -26
Cohabiting†
Yes 86 -34 -35
No 41 -12 -30
Medicaid coverage
Yes 71 -29 -19
No 23 -11 -21
*Includes separated women. †Based on single women only. Note: Abortion rates by subgroup in 1987 are limited to characteristics that were measured comparably in all three AGI surveys and for which information on population characteristics was measured comparably in 1987, 1994 and 2000.

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TABLE 3. Estimated abortion rate per 1,000 women aged 15-44, by poverty status, according to race and ethnicity, 2000
Poverty status* White Black Hispanic
Total 13 49 33
<100% 23 62 68
100-199% 27 68 34
200-299% 15 48 19
>=300% 7 28 15
*Percentage of federal poverty level.

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TABLE 4. Estimated abortion rates for 2000 and 1994, and percentage change between the two years, by selected characteristics, according to age-group
Characteristic Rate % change
2000 1994
Total 21 24 -11
RACE/ETHNICITY
White
<20 15 26 -41
>=20 12 14 -15
Black
<20 55 74 -25
>=20 48 50 -3
Hispanic
<20 38 44 -13
>=20 32 36 -10
MEDICAID COVERAGE
Yes
<20 61 71 -14
>=20 53 44 19
No
<20 20 29 -32
>=20 17 19 -7
POVERTY STATUS*
<100%
<20 51 42 21
>=20 43 34 26
100-199%
<20 42 41 1
>=20 37 29 27
200-299%
<20 23 38 -38
>=20 21 22 -5
>=300%
<20 11 28 -60
>=20 10 15 -33
*Percentage of federal poverty level.

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