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Abortion Statistics

Statistics on abortion are derived from two basic sources.

The Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) is a research division of Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider. They actively seek out statistics from abortion providers nationwide, and publish extensive statistical analyses on there website. These statistical summaries give information on how many abortions there are, who gets them, and why they get them. For a summary, see www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html

The other source of statistics is the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), located in Atlanta, Georgia. This institute of the federal government receives from individual states, on a voluntary basis, a report on the statistics regarding abortion in that state. Regular summaries of this information are available to the public on a regular basis -- for example, the report on abortion surveillance, and the report on pregnancy mortality surveillance (pdf format). Because reporting to the CDC is voluntary, their numbers for abortion statistics are lower than those of AGI.

Opinion tracking of the American public about abortion is another area of statistical analysis. The Gallup Organization (www.gallup.com) has conducted an in-depth analysis of American public opinion on abortion and made their summary available to the public. You can read more polls on abortion and birth control from various sources at www.pollingreport.com/abortion.htm.

Late term abortions are more frequent than reported by the media

October 14, 2009: The Centers for Disease Control reports that the abortion rate in the U.S. declined by 35% from 1990 to 2005. It states that 1.2 million abortions were performed in 2005. (PDF)

Polls

January 5-11, 2010 - Quinnipiac poll showing 67% oppose abortion funding in the health care bill. In the PDF, there's a link to the entire poll, but we isolated the abortion related questions. (PDF)

January 2010 - poll by the Canadian firm Angus Reid. It shows that Americans favor a ban on abortion coverage in federally subsidized health care insurance by 44% to 42%. It has other findings, such as that 74% of Americans favor parental consent. (PDF)

December 28, 2009: Rasmussen poll showing that by a 53%-40% margin, Americans favor a ban on abortion coverage in any health insurance plan that receives federal subsidies. (PDF)

December 22, 2009: This Quinnipiac poll shows that the public opposes using taxpayer funds for abortion in the health reform bill by a 72%-23% margin. Question 25 is the abortion-related question. (PDF)

December 2009: This Pew poll deals with Latinos' views on abortion. It shows that 56% say abortion should be illegal in all or most instances while only 37% say it should be legal. The numbers are broken down by age and by first, second, and third generation American Latinos. (PDF)

November 19, 2009: Pew Research poll says 55% say abortion should not be a covered benefit while only 28% say it should; and of those who oppose the health care bill, 56% cite abortion as "a major reason" and 21% cite it as "a minor reason." So, while Pew says abortion "plays a small role in health reform opposition," 77% of those who oppose the bill cite abortion as a reason for their opposition. (PDF)

November 18, 2009: CNN/Opinion poll that shows by a 61%-37% margin, the public opposes using public money to pay for abortions. (PDF)

November 17, 2009: CBS News poll that shows that by a 56%-34% margin, the public believes government subsidies should not be used to pay for abortions. (PDF)

October 6, 2009: This "Ohio Cultural Index Poll" commissioned by Ohio Right to Life measures Ohio opinion on cultural issues on a quarterly basis. The latest poll finds that 52% of Ohioans oppose abortion and 72% oppose public funding of abortion. (PDF)

October 2, 2009: Fox News poll shows declining support for health care reform. 33% now support it; 53% oppose it. Two weeks ago, the figures were 38%-48%. (PDF)

October 1, 2009 Pew Poll: Polls conducted in 2009 have found fewer Americans expressing support for abortion than in previous years. (PDF)

October 1, 2009: Gallup Poll showing an increase in support for the proposition that government should promote "traditional values" (53%) as opposed to the government not favoring any values (42%). Last year, the Gallup Poll found the public evenly split 48% - 48%. The biggest shift toward traditional values has come among "moderates" and "independents (PDF)

September 22, 2009: Poll commissioned by the Bishops' Conference shows that 67% of the public oppose using tax money for abortions and 56% oppose forcing people to pay for abortion through health insurance premiums. 68% said they didn't want abortion covered in their own policies; 24% said they did. (PDF)

September 21, 2009: This is the first ever poll of Religious Activists conducted by the University of Akron and Public Religion Research. The poll contrasts religious conservatives with religious "progressives" and finds that 95% of conservatives think that abortion should be illegal in all or most cases, while 80% of progressives think it should be legal in all or most cases. The portions of the poll dealing with abortion appear on pages 15-17 (PDF)

September 9, 2009: Poll commissioned by the Susan B. Anthony List showing public support, especially among Republicans and Independents, for excluding abortion from health care reform. (PDF)

August 17: NBC/Wall Street Journal poll conducted Aug. 15-17 shows that by a margin of 50%-37%, the public believes that the health care bill will result in government funding of abortion. The poll has many questions about Obama and health care, but the one relevant question on abortion is Question 15. (PDF)

August 11, 2009: Harris Poll on abortion shows support for Roe v. Wade has dropped from 56%-40% in 2007 to 51%-44% now. The poll question, however, describes Roe as having legalized abortion in the first three months of pregnancy.

August 4, 2009: Gallup Poll on Abortion (PDF)

July 2009: Abortion in America - A Knights of Columbus/Marist Poll (PDF)

May 21, 2009: Americans United for Life Poll showing the public's opposition to the abortion positions of potential Obama Supreme Court nominees (PDF)

May 15, 2009: Gallup Poll: More Americans “Pro-Life” Than “Pro-Choice” for First Time (PDF).