Abortion Factoids
- Approximately 51% of U.S. adults say abortion should be legal in all or most cases. About 43% say it should be illegal all or most of the time. These figures have remained fairly stable for the past 20 years.[13]
- Each year, approximately 47,000 women die from back-street abortions around the world. Five million more are admitted to the hospital with complications.[16]
- About 59% of women who have abortions in the United States are already mothers.[19]
- In the U.S black women are at least 5 times more likely than white women to have an abortion. [3]
- Approximately 90% of fetuses that are diagnosed with Down syndrome in utero are aborted.[18]
- During the depression, abortion rates in the U.S. rose dramatically when pregnancy threatened a woman’s job.[14]
- There about 208 million pregnancies each year globally. Of these, 31 million end in miscarriage or fetal death from natural causes. About 41 million (20%) end in abortion. About half of these abortions are illegal.[10]
- In the Unites Sates, there are about 1.2 million abortions each year, or about 3,322 abortions a day. The abortion rate has declined steadily since 1980.[19]
- In the United States, 30% of women will have an abortion by the age 45.[19]
- Some of the highest abortion rates in the world are in Latin American countries and other places where abortion is highly restricted but contraception is difficult to find.[10]
- Some of the lowest abortion rates are in countries in Western Europe where modern contraceptives are readily available and where abortion is safe, legal, and accessible.[10]
- An estimated 225 million women in developing regions don’t have adequate access to contraceptives.[10]
- Traditionally, Islam allows an abortion before 4 months gestation or if the mother’s life is in danger.[12]
- Nearly 1 in 3 women who sought a back-street abortion in New York City during the 1800s died.[15]
- For years, if someone asked Siri to find an abortion clinic nearby, the program would direct the user to crisis pregnancy centers instead.[20]
- Frank Sinatra’s mother carried out illegal abortions free of charge. Local women called her “hatpin Dolly.”[8]
- Feminist advocate Gloria Steinem once said that if “men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament.”[4]
- During WW II, a Jewish gynecologist at Auschwitz performed abortions—with just her hands--to save pregnant women from being tortured and killed.[5]
- There are two different kinds of abortion: 1) a medical abortion, where a woman takes abortion pills, and 2) a surgical abortion, where doctors directly remove the fetus. The kind of abortion a woman has depends on the length of pregnancy and the woman’s preference.[15]
1“Abortion Around the World.” CBS News. Accessed: May 29, 2016. http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/abortion-around-the-world-where-are-rates-highest/ References
2Bailey, Jacqui. Ethical Debates: Abortion. New York, NY: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc, 2012.
3“Black Genocide.” 2012. Accessed: May 29, 2016.
4Brockes, Emma. “Gloria Steinem: “If Men Could Get Pregnant, Abortion Would be A Sacrament.” The Guardian. October 17, 2015. Accessed: May 12, 2016.
5Brozan, Nadine. “Out of Death, a Zest for Life.” The New York Times. November 15, 1982. Accessed: December 7, 2016.
6Butler, Meg. “Celebrities Reveal Their Powerful Abortion Stories.” Madamenoire. April 16, 2016. Accessed: December 78, 2106.
7Campanile, Carl. “Abortion Rate Plummets in New York City.” New York Post. February 17, 2014. Accessed: May 29, 2016.
8Edge, Simon. “Frank Sinatra: Sex, Lies, Shame, and Abortion.” Sunday Express. November 22, 2011. Accessed: May 29, 2016.
9Holley, Peter. “’She Loved Being a Mother’: Pregnant Woman Executed for Refusing Abortion, Family Says.” The Washington Post. May 18, 2016. Accessed: May 29, 2016.
10“Induced Abortion Worldwide: Global Incidence and Trends.” Guttmacher Institute. 2016. Accessed: May 29, 2016.
11Jalon, Allan. “Fetuses Left Unburied Prompt Song by Pat Boone.” LA Times. May 14, 1985. Accessed: May 12, 2016.
12Kapparis, Konstantinos. Abortion in the Ancient World. London, England: Gerald Duckworth & Co. Ltd, 2002.
13Lipke, Michael. “5 Facts about Abortion.” Pew Research Center. March 1, 2016. Accessed: May 29, 2016.
14Mohr, James C. Abortion in America: The Origins and Evolution of National Policy, 1800-1900. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1978.
15Palmer, Louis Jr. Encyclopedia of Abortion in the United States. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc, 2002.
16“Preventing Unsafe Abortions.” WHO. 2016. Accessed: May 12, 2016.
17Riddle, John M. Contraception and Abortion from the Ancient World to the Renaissance. London, England: Harvard University Press, 1992.
18Schrad, Mark Lawrence. “Does Down Syndrome justify Abortion?” The New York Times. September 4, 2015. Accessed: May 29, 2016.
19"United States Abortion.” Guttmacher Institute. 2016. Accessed May 29, 2016.
20Williams, Mary Elizabeth. “Siri, Find Me an Abortion Provider: Apple’s Weird Anti-Choice glitch is Finally on Its Way Out.” Salon. January 19, 2016. Accessed: May 29, 2016.
2Bailey, Jacqui. Ethical Debates: Abortion. New York, NY: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc, 2012.
3“Black Genocide.” 2012. Accessed: May 29, 2016.
4Brockes, Emma. “Gloria Steinem: “If Men Could Get Pregnant, Abortion Would be A Sacrament.” The Guardian. October 17, 2015. Accessed: May 12, 2016.
5Brozan, Nadine. “Out of Death, a Zest for Life.” The New York Times. November 15, 1982. Accessed: December 7, 2016.
6Butler, Meg. “Celebrities Reveal Their Powerful Abortion Stories.” Madamenoire. April 16, 2016. Accessed: December 78, 2106.
7Campanile, Carl. “Abortion Rate Plummets in New York City.” New York Post. February 17, 2014. Accessed: May 29, 2016.
8Edge, Simon. “Frank Sinatra: Sex, Lies, Shame, and Abortion.” Sunday Express. November 22, 2011. Accessed: May 29, 2016.
9Holley, Peter. “’She Loved Being a Mother’: Pregnant Woman Executed for Refusing Abortion, Family Says.” The Washington Post. May 18, 2016. Accessed: May 29, 2016.
10“Induced Abortion Worldwide: Global Incidence and Trends.” Guttmacher Institute. 2016. Accessed: May 29, 2016.
11Jalon, Allan. “Fetuses Left Unburied Prompt Song by Pat Boone.” LA Times. May 14, 1985. Accessed: May 12, 2016.
12Kapparis, Konstantinos. Abortion in the Ancient World. London, England: Gerald Duckworth & Co. Ltd, 2002.
13Lipke, Michael. “5 Facts about Abortion.” Pew Research Center. March 1, 2016. Accessed: May 29, 2016.
14Mohr, James C. Abortion in America: The Origins and Evolution of National Policy, 1800-1900. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1978.
15Palmer, Louis Jr. Encyclopedia of Abortion in the United States. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc, 2002.
16“Preventing Unsafe Abortions.” WHO. 2016. Accessed: May 12, 2016.
17Riddle, John M. Contraception and Abortion from the Ancient World to the Renaissance. London, England: Harvard University Press, 1992.
18Schrad, Mark Lawrence. “Does Down Syndrome justify Abortion?” The New York Times. September 4, 2015. Accessed: May 29, 2016.
19"United States Abortion.” Guttmacher Institute. 2016. Accessed May 29, 2016.
20Williams, Mary Elizabeth. “Siri, Find Me an Abortion Provider: Apple’s Weird Anti-Choice glitch is Finally on Its Way Out.” Salon. January 19, 2016. Accessed: May 29, 2016.