Why do women have abortions?
Research indicates that 98% of all abortions are related to issues of “personal choice.” The primary reasons women give for having an abortion include not feeling emotionally capable (32%) or financially capable (30%) of raising a child, and concern that having a child would drastically alter her life (16%).
The Guttmacher Institute found that more than half of women having abortions had been using contraception during the month they became pregnant.
See also What percentage of all abortions are because of “hard cases”? and How often are women coerced into getting abortions?
Sources:
Guttmacher Institute. “Induced Abortion in the United States.” September 2019. https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/induced-abortion-united-states.
Johnston, Wm. Robert. “Reasons given for having abortions in the United States.” Johnston’s Archive. Last modified January 18, 2016. http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/abreasons.html.
