Q: Who has abortions? Q: Who has abortions?

Transcription

1 Q: Who has abortions? Q: Who has abortions? 1 A: Women who have abortions come from all racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and religious backgrounds. Most abortions occur among women who are 20-24, low-income, have at least one child, have some college education, and report a religious af iliation. Guttmacher Institute, Fact Sheet on Induced Abortion b_induced_abortion.html 1 Q: Is abortion safe? Q: Is abortion safe? A: Abortion is an extremely safe procedure when performed under proper medical conditions. Fewer than 1% of all U.S. abortion patients experience a major complication. 2 Guttmacher Institute, Fact Sheet on Induced Abortion b_induced_abortion.html 2

2 Q: Who provides abortions? Q: Who provides abortions? 3 A: Most abortions are provided by clinics that specialize in abortion and reproductive health care. Abortions are also provided in private physician of ices, hospitals, and non-specialized (primary care) clinics. Doctors, nurses, midwives, and medical support staff all play a role in providing abortion care. Jones RK and Jerman J, Abortion incidence and service availability in the United States, 2011, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2014, doi: /46e Q: Where is abortion available? Q: Where is abortion available? 4 A: Abortion is legally available in all 50 states but many states have only one known abortion provider and 89% of counties have no abortion provider. One in 3 women live in a county without an abortion provider. Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973) Jones RK and Jerman J, Abortion incidence and service availability in the United States, 2011, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2014, doi: /46e

3 Q: How much does an abortion cost? Q: How much does an abortion cost? A: Depending on where it is performed, the typical cost for a irst-trimester abortion is between $350-$500. Costs increase later in pregnancy; at 16 weeks a typical cost is $700, at 20 weeks an abortion can cost $1,000 or more. 5 National Abortion Federation, Economics of Abortion, 5 Q: What is medication abortion? Q: What is medication abortion? 6 A: Medication abortion involves the administration of drugs to terminate a pregnancy. Typically, two drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol, are used. Medication abortion is generally an option only in the irst 9 weeks of pregnancy. Reproductive Health Access Project, Early Abortion Options, 6

4 Q: What is Emergency Contraception? Q: What is Emergency Contraception? 7 A: Emergency contraception (or the morning after pill) prevents a pregnancy by delaying ovulation. Emergency Contraception can be used up to 5 days after unprotected sex and is available over the counter without a prescription. Reproductive Health Access Project, Emergency Contraception and Medication Abortion: What s the Difference? Planned Parenthood, The Morning After Pill, 7 Q: How many women have used emergency contraception? Q: How many women have used emergency contraception? A: One in 9 women of reproductive age have used emergency contraception. Guttmacher Institute, Contraceptive Use in the United States, b_contr_use.html 8 8

5 Q: Why do women have abortions? Q: Why do women have abortions? 9 A: The most common reasons U.S. women give for having abortions are the need to care for existing children, inancial concerns about having a child, work or school commitments, and concerns about their relationship or becoming a single parent. Finer LB et al., Reasons U.S. women have abortions: quantitative and qualitative perspectives, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2005, 37(3): Q: Why do women have abortions later in pregnancy? Q: Why do women have abortions later in pregnancy? 10 A: Almost 92% of abortions occur in the irst 12 weeks of pregnancy. Women obtain later abortion for reasons that include delayed knowledge of the pregnancy, changed life circumstances, fetal anomaly, and delays in inding an appropriate service provider. Pazol, K, et al., Abortion Surveillance United States, 2010, Morbidly and Mortality Weekly Report, November 29, 2013, 2(ss08);1-44 University of California, San Francisco, ANSIRH, 10

6 Q: What portion of pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended? Q: What portion of pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended? A: Nearly half (49%) of all U.S. pregnancies are unintended. Finer LB and Zolna MR, Shifts in intended and unintended pregnancies in the United States, , American Journal of Public Health, 2013, doi: /AJPH Q: Who has unintended pregnancies? Q: Who has unintended pregnancies? A: By age 45, more than half of all American women will have experienced an unintended pregnancy. Unintended pregnancy rates are highest among poor and low-income women, women aged 18 24, cohabiting women and minority women. Among states, rates of unintended pregnancy are generally highest in the South and Southwest. 12 Guttmacher Institute, Fact Sheet: Unintended Pregnancy in the United States 12

7 Q: How many pregnancies end in miscarriage? Q: How many pregnancies end in miscarriage? A: About 1 in 6 recognized pregnancies end in miscarriage. American Pregnancy Association, Miscarriage, Q: How many women use contraception? Q: How many women use contraception? A: Eighty-nine percent of women who are at risk of unintended pregnancy are currently using contraception. Jones J, Mosher WD & Daniels K, Current contraceptive use in the United States, , and changes in patterns of use since 1995, National Health Statistics Reports, 2012, No. 60,

8 Q: What are the most commonly used methods of contraception? Q: What are the most commonly used methods of contraception? A: The pill and female sterilization have been the two most commonly used methods since Guttmacher Institute, Contraceptive Use in the United States, b_contr_use.html Q: How many infants are placed for adoption? Q: How many infants are placed for adoption? A: Approximately 18,000 U.S.-born infants are placed for adoption each year. 16 National Council for Adoption, Adoption Advocate Policy Priorities and Adoption-Related Legislation, No. 43:

9 Q: How common is premarital sex in the U.S.? Q: How common is premarital sex in the U.S.? A: Ninety- ive percent of Americans have premarital sex. This has been the case for decades: even among women who were born in the 1940s, nearly 9 in 10 had sex before marriage. 17 Finer LB., Trends in premarital sex in the United States, , Public Health Rep Jan-Feb;122(1): Q: How many pregnancies occur in the U.S. each year? Q: How many pregnancies occur in the U.S. each year? A: About 6.6 million pregnancies occur in the U.S. each year. Guttmacher Institute, Fact Sheet: Unintended Pregnancy in the United States

10 Q: How common is ectopic pregnancy? Q: How common is ectopic pregnancy? A: Ectopic pregnancy, when the fertilized egg implants outside the uterus, occurs in up to 1 in 50 pregnancies. March of Dimes, Pregnancy Loss Q: What percentage of births are delivered by cesarean section? Q: What percentage of births are delivered by cesarean section? A: In the U.S., 1 in 3 births are deliveries by cesarean section. Center for Disease Control, FastStats: Births Method of Delivery,

11 Q: How common is post-partum depression? Q: How common is post-partum depression? A: Eight to nineteen percent of women report experiencing post-partum depression. Center for Disease Control, Depression among Women of Reproductive Age

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