xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx CHOICE-NET REPORT For Week ending June 25, 1994 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx CHOICE-NET REPORT is a weekly update on reproductive rights issues distributed through email, Women's Wire, gopher.WELL.com, Usenet groups alt.activism, talk.abortion, soc.women, and other Internet channels. Please reprint, distribute and TAKE ACTION. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx This week's CHOICE-NET REPORT consists of excerpts from a very important study released June 16, 1994 by the Alan Guttmacher Institute. To receive a copy of the study, contact the Guttmacher Institute at 212-248-1111. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >From the press release accompanying the study: Eighty thousand fewer abortions occurred among U.S. women in 1992 (1,529,000) than in 1990 (1,608,000). . . .The 1992 abortion level is the lowest since 1979, when the number was just under 1.5 million. . . .Furthermore, both the abortion rate of 25.9 (number of abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44) and the abortion ratio of 27.5 (the percentage of pregnancies ending in abortion) are now at their lowest levels since 1976. Almost half (49%) of all abortions took place in the most populous states in 1992: California (304,000), New York (195,000), Texas (97,000), Florida (85,000), and Illinois (68,000). The fewest abortions took place in Wyoming (460), South Dakota (1,010), North Dakota (1,490), Idaho (1,710), and Alaska (2,370). Table 1. Number of reported abortions, by metropolican status: rate of abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44; and raio of abortions per 100 pregnancies ending in abortions or live births. United States, 1973-1992 Year # of Abortions (in 000s) Rate Ratio 1973 744.6 16.3 19.3 1974 898.6 19.3 22 1975 1034.2 21.7 24.9 1976 1179.3 24.2 25.5 1977 1316.7 26.4 26.6 1978 1409.6 27.7 29.2 1979 1497.7 28.8 29.6 1980 1553.9 29.3 30 1981 1577.3 29.3 30.1 1982 1573.9 25.8 30 1983 (1575) (28.5) (30.4) 1984 1577.2 28.1 29.7 1985 1588.6 29.0 29.7 1986 (1574.0) (27.4) (29.4) 1987 1559.1 25.9 28.8 1988 1590.8 27.3 28.5 1989 (1566.9) (26.8) (27.5) 1990 (1806.5) (27.4) (28.0) 1991 1556.5 26.3 27.4 1992 1528.9 25.9 27.5 Figures in parens are estimated by interpolation of numbers of abortions. Samples from Table 4. Measures of the availability of abortion services at the county level and provider level, by state, 1992. Total # of providers: 2380 Change since 1988: -202 # of providers per 100,000 women aged 15-44: 4.0 Total number of counties: 3139 Counties with providers: 295 % of counties with providers: 16 Alabama # of providers: 20 Change since 1988: 0 # of providers per 100,000 women aged 15-44: 2.1 Total number of counties: 67 Counties with providers: 6 % of counties with providers: 9 California # of providers: 554 Change since 1988: -54 # of providers per 100,000 women aged 15-44: 7.7 Total number of counties: 58 Counties with providers: 39 % of counties with providers: 67 New York # of providers: 289 Change since 1988: -16 # of providers per 100,000 women aged 15-44: 6.8 Total number of counties: 62 Counties with providers: 37 % of counties with providers: 60 South Dakota # of providers: 1 Change since 1988: 0 # of providers per 100,000 women aged 15-44: .7 Total number of counties: 66 Counties with providers: 1 % of counties with providers: 2 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Information Sources: California Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League-North, Alan Guttmacher Institute, Reproductive Freedom News, Culture Watch, Political Woman, various Congresspersons, various newspapers, C-Span, CNN, Reuters, AP, and UPI. Editor: Kathy Watkins, Administrative Director, CARAL-North .