Surprisingly, every year almost half of the reported pregnancies among American women are not intended. And even more surprising is the fact that almost half of these pregnancies will end up in abortion. A great number of myths and misconceptions surround the issue on abortion, including who gets it and why. It is important to note however that the issue affects a large number of women who come from all ethnic, religious, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds. With the rates continuously rising, it is predicted that 35 percent of American women within the reproductive age will get an abortion by the time they get to 45 years old.

The Incidence of Abortion Tracking the incidence of abortion can be effectively done through two varying ways. One is by simply keeping a record of the total number of abortions from women who can be categorized into specific criteria. Alternatively, the incidence of abortion may also be recorded by measuring the total number of cases obtained per a thousand women who make up a specific number of population in every category or criteria.

The Reasons for Getting an Abortion

It is said that almost half of the population of the American women who gets pregnant will most likely get an abortion once or twice during their lifetime. Hospitals and women’s centers perform more than a million abortions every year. This is just a concrete illustration on the great demand for abortion. But why do you think women go for it? Let’s find out.

There is a long list of reasons for not wanting to be pregnant and seek abortion. Most of these are related to 3 major reasons, which are age where most abortions are done on women falling below the age of 25; economic status where most abortions are done on those women who think they cannot afford to raise a child, and marital status where abortions are done on unmarried or women who have separated from their partners.

Personal reasons such as the following are given by a good majority of women who want to get an abortion: They are not ready for the responsibility of raising a child. They do not have financial capacity to raise the child. Their relationship with the father of the child is not stable or in difficulty. They think they are still too young. They think that having a child will disrupt her career or the present status of her life. Also, some women obtain abortion for medical reasons that may affect her or the unborn child such as: The pregnancy may be dangerous for the mother who is still very young. The woman is carrying more than just one child, where the birth of one or more babies may cause long-term health problems. The fetus has been exposed to toxic chemicals in the course of the pregnancy. The fetus has been detected to have a health or genetic problem. The mother may suffer from eclampsia or a sudden increase in her blood pressure, which will prove to be harmful for her and the unborn child.

It should also be noted that some abortions are done on women who are victims of rape or incestuous relationships.