Study Details Women Seeking Abortions

WASHINGTON--Hispanic and Black women, women with low incomes, those living with someone to whom they are not married and those in school are statistically more likely to undergo abortions than women in general, a private survey has concluded.

Firm statistics are not available on the number of abortions performed each year nor on who has them. Moreover, the survey by the Alan Guttmacher Institute says that most abortions are performed on white, middle-class women because they make up the bulk of the population of women of childbearing age.

However, the survey by the New York-based, non-profit group that studies reproductive issues suggests that women in various categories have a statistically disproportionate share of abortions relative to their raw numbers.

For example, it found that nonwhite women make up 16.7 percent of the childbearing-age population, but accounted for 31.4 percent of the abortions.

White women accounted for about 69 percent of those seeking abortions but made up about 83 percent of the childbearing-age population.

The study found that women with family incomes below $11,000 accounted for 33.1 percent of those receiving abortions, although they made up only 29.2 percent of all women of childbearing age.

The federal Center for Disease Control in Atlanta estimates there were about 1.3 million abortions in the United States in 1985, the most recent year for which statistics are available. The Guttmacher Institute estimates nearly 1.6 million abortions for that year.

The Supreme Court legalized abortion in 1973. The court will hear arguments April 26 in a Missouri case that could result in a reversal or weakening of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.

The Guttmacher Institute surveyed women who obtained abortions at hospitals, clinics or doctors' offices during 1987.

It selected 103 facilities in what was intended as a statistically valid national sample base--21 hospitals and 82 clinics and physicians' offices--and arranged for questionnaires to be given to the 11,313 women who showed up for abortions during a 12-day period.

Filling out and mailing in the questionnaire was voluntary and done anonymously and privately by the women. A large number of women--9480--returned questionnaires.

Although no specific margin of error was given, the large sample base lends credibility to the statistical profile of U.S. women seeking abortions during that particular period in 1987.

Unmarried women living with a man constituted 17.4 percent of the abortion clients, although they make up only 3.4 of all childbearing-age women.

Women attending school constituted 31.1 percent of those seeking abortions, but 20.5 percent of all women of childbearing age.

Most women cited more than one factor in their decision to have an abortion. Among the reasons were concerns about how motherhood would change their lives, financial problems, single parenthood, the responsibility of parenthood, others knowing they were pregnant, maturity and how many children they already had.