http://www.newsday.com/news/health/ny-hsabor092958579oct09,0,2583418.story
Sharp Drop In U.S. Rate Of Abortion In Late '90s THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
October 9, 2002
The U.S. abortion rate dropped significantly during the second half of the 1990s, particularly among teenagers, and experts attribute the decline to AIDS fears and better awareness about using contraceptives.
The overall abortion rate fell 11 percent from 1994 to 2000 - to 21 abortions for every 1,000 women of childbearing age, the not-for-profit Alan Guttmacher Institute reported in a major new survey yesterday.
Still, researchers were surprised by a sharp increase in abortions for women who earn less than twice the federal poverty limit, about $34,000 for a family of four.
"Their abortion rates were increasing while they were going down for everyone else," said Rachel K. Jones, lead researcher for the study, which was based on questionnaires completed by more than 10,000 women who had abortions.
Several experts who discussed the results particularly noted the decline in abortions among teenagers. The abortion rate for teens fell from 24 per 1,000 girls in 1994 to just 15 per 1,000 in 2000, the survey said.
But while fewer teens are getting abortions, the proportion of pregnant girls choosing that option - about one-third - has not changed, according to Sarah Brown, director of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.
For women below the poverty line, the abortion rate rose 25 percent, and increased 23 percent for women making less than twice that level. --- Sent from UnionMail Service [http://mail.union.org.za]