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U.S. abortion statistics then and now
The number of reported abortions in the U.S. rose sharply after the Supreme Court made abortion legal in 1973. In the 1980s, the number leveled off at just under 1.6 million, but since 1989, the number has been declining. Experts on both sides of the abortion debate attribute the decline to a variety of practical and political factors. Among them: a decrease in doctors willing and trained to perform abortions, limited access to abortions for some women, better methods of contraception, and changing attitudes toward abortion.
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Abortions per year in the U.S. from 1973 - 1992.
Among individual states, the ratio of abortions to live births varies greatly, though most states show a dramatic increase in the ratio from 1973, the year Roe vs. Wade was handed down, to 1992, the last year for which figures are available. As of 1992, Wyoming ranked as the state with the lowest abortion ratio with 74 abortions for every 1,000 live births. New York ranked the highest with 694 abortions per 1,000 live births.
Listen to Roe vs. Wade Oral Arguments / Read Full Text of the Decision
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