title: 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.
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Koonin
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ramick
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Lawson
mesh_terms: D000029:Abortion, Legal / Q000401:mortality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017533:Marital Status; D008428:Maternal Mortality; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology