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COPYRIGHT 1995 The Alan Guttmacher Institute
Any woman faced with an unplanned pregnancy must make the often difficult choice between having an abortion or giving birth to a child she had not planned to have and maybe unprepared financially or emotionally to raise. Roughly equal proportions choose each option: In 1988, for example, about 1.7 million women who had an unintended pregnancy gave birth and began raising the child (very few women relinquish their babies for adoption (76)), and 1.6 million had abortions. (77)
Unplanned Pregnancy and Abortion
Poor women with unplanned pregnancies are somewhat less likely than other women to have abortions (Figure 7; see page 22). (78)
*Some 48% of poor women who get pregnant unintentionally have abortions, compared with half of low-income and higher income women.
* The disparity by income is much greater among adolescent women: Four in 10 poor women aged 15-19 and just over half of low-income teenagers have abortions, compared with seven in 10 higher income teenagers.
While poor women who have unintended pregnancies are somewhat less likely than others to have abortions, poor women are much more likely than higher income women to have unplanned pregnancies. As a result, they account for a disproportionate share of all abortions: Poor women account for 16% of all women aged 15-44, but 29% of those having abortions, while higher income women make up 67% of reproductive-age women, but only 45% of those having abortions. (70)
Most women who have an abortion report that more than one factor influenced their decision to end thier pregency. (80)
* Two-thirds say, for example, that they cannot afford to have a child.
Reasons for Choosing
* Three-quarters cite concerns about how a child would interfere with school work or other responsibilities.
* Half report that they have trouble with their partner or want to avoid single parenthood.
* Substantial proportions feel they are not ready for the responsibilities of parenthood or want to keep secret their pregnancy or the fact that they are sexually active.
Some of these concerns are particularly salient for lower income women.
Financial Concerns. Three-quarters of poor and low-income women cite their inability to afford a baby as a reason why they had an abortion; 25% say this concern is the single most important factor in their decision to have an abortion. It is of particular concern to low-income women, perhaps because women whose incomes are only marginally above the poverty line have little or no disposable income and generally do not qualify for public benefits such as Medicaid. (81)
When poor and low-income women who say they cannot afford a baby are asked to be more specific,
* roughly a third cite the fact that they are still in school, and about a quarter point out that they are unmarried (and presumably have too little income to raise a child);
* for poor women, the fact that they are on...
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