Abortion down among teens, up among the poor. (Overall Rate Decreased 11% Since 1994).

NEW YORK -- Abortion rates have decreased nationally by 11% since 1994, with a 39% decline among teenage girls.

But the rate has increased by 25% among poor and low-income women, according to Rachel Jones, Ph.D., Senior Research Analyst at the Alan Guttmacher Institute.

Dr. Jones presented data on abortion rates from 1994 to 2000, gathered from more than 10,000 women at abortion clinics nationwide, at a press conference sponsored by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

The Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit organization focused on reproductive health and sexuality issues, is currently conducting a massive, multifaceted study of unintended pregnancy in the United States. A national survey of abortion rates and demographic trends is one part of this project.

Among women aged 15-44 years, the overall abortion rate decreased from 24/1,000 in 1994 to 21/1,000 in 2000.

Among 15- to 17-year-olds, the decline in abortions was even more dramatic, dropping from 24/1,000 teen girls to 15/1,000. Dr. Jones noted that this finding reflects the continuation of a trend toward fewer teen abortions that began in the late 1980s.

Poor women, defined as those who earn $14,150 or less for a family of up to three individuals in 2000, showed a 25% increase in the number of abortions per 1,000 women. Those defined as low-income, earning less than $28,300 annually, had a 21% increase; those on Medicaid had a 14% increase during the same 6-year period.