Abortion has been considered a “fundamental right” ever since 1974. The number of women practicing this “right” had its peak in 1980 when there were 29 abortions for every 1,000 women 15-44 years of age. Today, this number dropped to 20 for every 1,000 women in 2004.
The abortion issue has been controversial from the beginning. Some are against it, saying that it can be compared to killing life. While others say that it’s better than raising a poor or unwanted child. Which side are you on? Are you convinced that there are good reasons to rationalize abortion? Or you simply don’t agree with it no matter what the reason is?
For U.S. women, there is a 30-year old report that analyzed abortion trends. The study’s findings released statistics that says abortion rates are falling, and they’re going down fast. However, this does not apply to all women of different age groups and origins. Women in their 40s are more likely to go through abortion compared to women in their 20s or 30s.
Surprised? When everybody’s focus has been centered on how to prevent teen pregnancy, statistics say otherwise. Several experts are theorizing that older women may be having more unplanned pregnancies than their younger counterparts. Maybe this could be due to their economic condition. Imagine if you already have a child, and you get pregnant unintentionally, you will be faced with the reality that you cannot afford another child. So aside from educating college kids and careless teens, the government should also include older women to have children only when they’re ready.
The study further states that white women are less likely to have abortion compared to black or Hispanic women. For instance, in 2004 there were 28 abortions for every 1,000 Hispanic women, 50 for every 1,000 black women, and yet only 11 per 1,000 white women.
Another interesting result is the choice of early abortion. In particular, women choose to abort within the first 7 weeks of pregnancy. This may be attributed to accurate tests using home pregnancy products, which empowers women to immediately know that they’re pregnant. Another reason could be the introduction of a miscarriage-inducing drug which was approved by FDA as another method of abortion.
The mentioned study was conducted by Guttmacher Institute (non-profit), which specializes on sexual and reproductive health research. They examined U.S. abortion rates from 1974 to 2004. Rachel Jones, senior research associate and project manager for this study has conveyed that there is still a lot of information dissemination to be done so that women can have complete control over family planning. At least you can benefit from this by being aware of the characteristics of women choosing to go through abortion, and if their age, origin, or culture plays a major role in that choice.
Truly, these statistics paint a picture of the culture in our society. It would be good to know that single motherhood can be avoided if you take control of your future and plan your actions ahead. Maybe it’s time for you to start looking for reliable contraception or good health care, or just request your partner to use condoms consistently.
