More Than Half of Women—but Only a Quarter of Abortion Facilities—Are Located in States Hostile to Abortion Rights

1/28/2021
by SWATHI KELLA

A recent study from Guttmacher Institute found that while almost 60 percent of women who may seek an abortion are located in U.S. states that are hostile to abortion rights, only 26 percent of abortion facilities fall within these states.

The study examined the 808 clinics in the United States that collectively provided 95 percent of abortions in 2017. Central to the study was a map the Guttmacher Institute had produced in 2017 classifying each state as “supportive,” “middle-ground,” “hostile” or “extremely hostile” to abortion rights. The map showed that only 12 states were supportive of abortion rights, while 29 states were either hostile or extremely hostile.

Continued: https://msmagazine.com/2021/01/28/more-than-half-of-women-but-only-a-quarter-of-abortion-facilities-are-located-in-states-hostile-to-abortion-rights/


U.S. Abortion Rate Continues to Decline, Reaching Historic Low in 2017

U.S. Abortion Rate Continues to Decline, Reaching Historic Low in 2017
Regional and State Disparities in Abortion Access Have Widened

September 18, 2019
News Release, Guttmacher Institute

The U.S. abortion rate dropped to 13.5 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44 in 2017, the lowest rate recorded since abortion was legalized in 1973 and an 8% decline from 2014, according to a new Guttmacher report by Rachel Jones, Elizabeth Witwer and Jenna Jerman. The number of abortions also declined to 862,320 in 2017, 7% fewer than in 2014. Birthrates declined in almost all states during this period, indicating that fewer people became pregnant, not that more individuals chose or were made to give birth rather than have an abortion.

The Guttmacher Institute’s 18th census of all known abortion-providing facilities in the United States identified 808 clinic facilities providing abortions in 2017, a 2% increase from 2014. However, during that time, longstanding regional and state disparities in abortion access grew even more pronounced: The number of clinics increased in the Northeast (by 16%) and the West (by 4%) and actually decreased in the Midwest (by 6%) and the South (by 9%). In 2017, 89% of U.S. counties did not have a clinic that provided abortion services, and 38% of women of reproductive age lived in these counties.

Continued: https://www.guttmacher.org/news-release/2019/us-abortion-rate-continues-decline-reaching-historic-low-2017