Characteristics of Abortion Patients

Demographic characteristics of women obtaining abortions are derived from national surveys of abortion providers.

According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, the majority of women obtaining abortions are young (55% are younger than 25) and never married (66%). The majority have had one or more children (55%), but no prior abortions (53%). Based on total numbers, more White women (61%) than African American or His panic  omen obtain abortions. However, the abortion rate for White women is lower than it is for minority women. Black women are approximately three times as likely to have an abortion as White women and Hispanic women are roughly two times as likely to do so.

Abortion rates are also disproportionately higher among women who are disadvantaged economically because of poverty or lack of education. Many of these demographic factors are intercorrelated, making it difficult to attribute differences in abortion rates to any single variable. 

The most common reasons women report for obtaining an abortion are concern that having a baby at that point would interfere with work, school, or other responsibilities; the inability to afford a baby financially:

and partner-related reasons. Motivations to have an abortion differ substantially among different subgroups of women. Adult mothers, for example, are more likely than nonmothers to cite as reasons for obtaining an abortion, completion of childbearing along with responsibilities to others, including other children.