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.
