US abortion statistics show decline

January 18, 2023

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CWN Editor's Note: Although accurate figures are not available—since abortionists are not required to file reports—the best available statistics show a downward trend in the American abortion rate.

Roughly 620,000 abortions were performed in 2020—down from over 1 million in 1991. There were 14.4 abortions per 1,000 women of child-bearing age: roughly half the figure (29.3) for 1981.

Statistics collected by Pew Research show:

• 86% of women seeking abortions were unmarried;
• 42% of women who aborted pregnancies in 2020 had previous abortions;
• 2% of all abortions— or more than 12,000 cases— resulted in medical complications for the mothers.

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