title: Abortion in the United States.
abstract: Abortion is an extremely safe and common medical procedure. In the United States, over one million women had an abortion in the year 2000. Advances in early abortion techniques have helped to increase the proportion of early procedures, the safest type. Abortion rates have been declining since the early nineties among adults and adolescents, but rates among poor, minority women remain high. State restrictions to abortion have a larger impact on poor women and young women. Restrictions and regulations have also resulted in the concentration of abortion services in specialized clinics. These clinics are subject to harassment. The expansion of abortion services to more types of providers could increase access, as well as integrate abortion into women's health care.
authors.affiliation: Center for Reproductive Health Research and Policy, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, 94143, USA. harperc@obgyn.ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Cynthia C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Harper
authors.forename: Jillian T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Henderson
authors.forename: Philip D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Darney
mesh_terms: D000029:Abortion, Legal / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003376:Counseling / Q000458:organization & administration; D035082:Federal Government; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D033161:Government Regulation; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009017:Morbidity; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011247:Pregnancy; D049168:Pregnancy, Unplanned; D011275:Pregnancy, Unwanted; D011634:Public Health / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012449:Safety / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013219:State Government; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014754:Violence / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016387:Women's Health; D014932:Women's Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration