Abortion services in the United States, 1991 and 1992.

ABSTRACT

PIP: The most recent Alan Guttmacher Institute survey, which collected data on abortions provided in the US in 1991 and 1992, documented continued declines in the abortion rate and the number of abortion providers. The number of abortions performed per year remained relatively stable from 1980-90, at about 1,600,000, but declined to l,557,000 in 1991 and to l,529,000 in 1992. This represents a decline in the abortion rate from a high of 29/1000 women of reproductive age in 1981 to 26/1000 in 1992. 49% of all abortions in 1992 occurred in New York, California, Texas, Florida, and Illinois. At present, two states--North and South Dakota--have only one abortion provider each. The number of abortions performed in nonmetropolitan counties has dropped from 67,000 in 1979 to 23,000 in 1992, and 94% of these counties currently have no abortion provider. Even in metropolitan counties, 51% have no abortion service. In 1992, there were 2380 facilities providing abortion--a decline of 202 since 1988. Only 7% of abortions are performed at hospitals--the sector that has been eliminating abortion services at the fastest rate. Only one-sixth of the decline in abortion procedures since 1988 can be explained by the changing age structure of women in the reproductive years. Other contributing factors may include fewer unintended pregnancies, greater acceptance of single motherhood, erosions in acceptance of the right to abortion, and the lack of accessibility of abortion services in nonmetropolitan areas.