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Abortion surveillance--United States, 1999
Laurie D Elam-Evans1, Lilo T Strauss, Joy Herndon
1Division of Reproductive Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, USA.
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Surveillance Summaries (Washington, D.C. : 2002)
|December 24, 2002
Summary
Legal induced abortions decreased in 1999, continuing a trend from previous years. Surveillance by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is vital for monitoring abortion trends and enhancing unintended pregnancy prevention efforts.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Health
- Public Health Surveillance
- Demography
Background:
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initiated abortion surveillance in 1969.
- The primary objectives were to document the number and characteristics of women undergoing legal induced abortions and to monitor unintended pregnancies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize and describe data on legal induced abortions obtained in the United States in 1999.
- To analyze trends in abortion numbers, ratios, and rates.
- To describe the characteristics of women obtaining abortions and gestational ages at the time of procedure.
Main Methods:
- Data were compiled by the CDC from reporting areas in the United States for legal induced abortions in 1999.
- Surveillance data included the number of abortions, abortion ratios and rates, and characteristics of women (age, race, marital status, previous abortions).
- Gestational age at the time of abortion and type of procedure (medical vs. surgical) were also reported.
Main Results:
- A total of 861,789 legal induced abortions were reported for 1999, a 2.5% decrease from 1998.
- The abortion ratio was 256 per 1,000 live births, and the abortion rate was 17 per 1,000 women aged 15-44.
- Abortion percentages were highest among women <25 years, white, and unmarried individuals. Most abortions occurred early in gestation (<8 weeks).
- Medical abortions accounted for <1.0% of reported procedures. In 1998, nine deaths were associated with legal induced abortions.
Conclusions:
- The number of legal induced abortions continued to decline in 1998 and 1999.
- Deaths related to legal induced abortions remain rare.
- Continued abortion surveillance is recommended to examine trends, understand characteristics of women obtaining abortions, and improve unintended pregnancy prevention strategies.