Number of Abortions Performed Drops in Latest CDC Tally

In the recently released report, the number of abortions performed in the U.S. in 2007 was near a ten-year low

The Center for Disease Control has released its data on abortion statistics for the year 2007. One of the most noteworthy findings is that abortions were nearly at a 10-year low during that year. "The new report indicates 827,609 abortions were done in 2007," notes the pro-life Web site LifeNews. "The 2007 total is the second lowest since 1998, with only the 2005 figure of 820,151 showing fewer abortions." Nationwide, numbers have been on a gradual decline since 1998, except for a spike in 2006, as seen on the graph below.

Other bits of data from the report: New York had the most abortions of any state, with 128,036 reported in that year. Among racial and ethnic groups, black women had both the highest abortion rates (32.1 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44 years) and the highest abortion ratios (480 abortions per 1,000 live births). The report notes that "according to the most recent national estimates, nearly one fifth of all pregnancies in the United States end in abortion." Also, National Review zeroes in on a 6 percent dip in abortion rates in Oklahoma, "possibly thanks to pro-life legislation passed in 2006" that "includes a parental-consent requirement, allows a woman to view her unborn child on ultrasound before an abortion, [and] informs women that unborn children older than 20 weeks' gestation may feel pain."

It's worth pointing out that the 2007 numbers only reflect 47 states. California and New Hampshire declined to report data to the CDC, as they have every year since 1997. For 2007, Maryland recused itself too. Here's the CDC graph of nationwide statistics from 1998 to 2007: