Abortion surveillance--United States, 1989

Abstract

Since 1980, the number of legal induced abortions reported to CDC has remained stable, varying each year by < 5%. In 1989, 1,396,658 abortions were reported--a 1.9% increase from 1988. The abortion ratio for 1989 was 346 legal induced abortions/1,000 live births, and the abortion rate was 24/1,000 women ages 15-44 years. The abortion ratio was highest for black women and women of other minority racial groups and for women < 15 years of age. Overall, women undergoing abortions tended to be young, white, and unmarried; to have had no previous live births; and to be having the procedure for the first time. Approximately half of all abortions were performed before the eighth week of gestation, and 87% were before the thirteenth week of gestation. Younger women tended to obtain abortions later in pregnancy than older women. This report also includes newly reported abortion-related deaths for 1986 and 1987, as well as an update on abortion-related deaths for the period 1978-1985. Ten deaths in 1986 and six deaths in 1987 were associated with legal induced abortion. The case-fatality rate in 1986 was 0.8 abortion-related deaths/100,000 legal induced abortions and 0.4/100,000 in 1987.