Why Women Choose Abortion Not ready for a child or more children/timing is wrong 25% Cannot afford a baby now 23% Children are grown; woman has all she wants 19% Problems with relationship; unmarried 8% Too young; not mature enough 7% Interfere with education or career plans 4% Woman has health problem 4% Fetus has possible health problems 3% Pregnancy caused by rape 0.5% Husband or partner wants woman to undergo abortion 0.5% Parents want girl to have abortion 0.5% Do not want people to know I had sex/got pregnant 0.5% Other 6% source: “Reasons U.S. Women Have Abortions: Quantitative and Qualitative Perspectives,” by Lawrence B. Finer et al., of the Guttmacher Institute (2004).

Abortion: A Rare Procedure?

Most people do not know that abortion is one of the most common surgical procedures performed in the United States.  At least 1.3 million abortions are reported each year.  In Texas, there were over 79,100 reported abortions in 2003 (the most recent year for which stats are available).  Contrary to common perception, abortion is not rare and most likely has affected many people whom we know.  By the age of 20, 1 in 7 women has undergone at least one abortion.  By the age of 45, 1 in 3 women has had at least one abortion.

Why Women Choose Abortion

As the statistics show, most women are choosing abortion either because they are not ready for the responsibility that will change their lives so drastically or because they do not have the money to support a child.  These reasons for abortion rarely reflect the common misperception that abortions are only sought when the life or health of the mother is at stake (fewer than 5 percent of women undergo abortions because of rape, incest, or to prevent the death of the mother).  This is a sobering realization: abortion is used primarily as birth control.

Another influence for women choosing abortion is the law.  When women were asked, “Did the knowledge that abortion is legal influence your opinion about the morality of choosing abortion?” 70 percent said the law played a major role in their moral perception.  David Reardon of the Elliott Institute concluded that “while most aborting women have a negative moral view of abortion, they find comfort and grounds for rationalization in the socio-legal view of abortion.  Some even doubt their own moral values, thinking, ‘If it’s legal, then it must be alright’ ” (Aborted Women Silent No More [1987], 13).

Life-Affirming Choices

With a better understanding of why women choose abortions, addressing the questions of how to help them becomes easier.  First, since many women think they do not have the resources to care for their children, we help them with or connect them with the resources to parent their child or remind them that adoption is a noble option.  Many organizations specialize in the care of women who are pregnant and abortion-vulnerable; these include Birthright, the Texas Pregnancy Care Network, maternity homes, and the hundreds of pregnancy resource centers across Texas.  Most of these alternatives to abortion are listed in the Yellow Pages under "Abortion Alternatives" so that pregnant women and girls may easily find them before finding the abortion provider section. 

Also, since the law is a great teacher, we must support legislation that enables women to be more informed when they are facing an unexpected pregnancy.  Texas passed the “Parental Notification Act” (which keeps families involved in a minor's life-altering decisions when they are considering abortion), the “Woman’s Right to Know Act” (which provides women with information about fetal development, the medical risks of abortion, and abortion alternatives), and President Bush started a “Promoting Safe and Stable Families” program (which provides services to promote adoption).  Grassroots support of such measures contributes to ending abortion.

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Finding ways to address the specific needs of women is vitally important if we want to reduce abortion in our society and move towards a true Culture of Life.  Pregnancy care centers save women and children from the violence of abortion every day.  Pro-Life legislation teaches women and families that their health and well-being are important while also changing their hearts and minds.  Texas’s teen abortion rate dropped by 20 percent in 2000—the first year our “Parental Notification Act” was implemented.  These are proven solutions that garner support from a majority of Americans.  We must continue to fight the culture of death by promoting life-affirming choices for women.