Study: Abortion Disproportionately Affects Black, Old, Poor Women
While the overall abortion rate has declined dramatically over the past 30 years, a new study shows, the rates fell more among white women and teenagers than among black, Hispanic, old and poor women.
A report released Tuesday by the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization associated with Planned Parenthood Federation of America, examined abortion rates in the U.S. between 1974 – the year after Roe v. Wade – and 2004.
"There's been a shift in the population of women obtaining abortions relative to 30 years ago," said Rachel Jones, a senior research associate at the institute, according to HealthDay. "They are older, they are more likely to be unmarried, more likely to be mothers, and they are more likely to be women of color."
The study found the rate of abortions is at its lowest point since 1974, dropping 33 percent from a peak of 29 abortions per 1,000 women, ages 15 to 44, in...