Abortion statistics question.

[-..__...]

Has any agency tracked the percentage and breakdown of abortions that are...

Elective...

Performed due to incest and/or rape...

Performed when the womans health or life is in danger.

[ljm2002]

1. Viagra statistics question...

...has any agency tracked the percentage and breakdown of Viagra prescriptions that are...

Given to men on their way to sex tourism sites...

Given to men who can't keep up sexually with their younger trophy wives...

Given to men who are impotent due to advanced age or another medical condition...

[SteelPenguin]

2. I don't know if these statistics are real

But I've seen them in multiple locations....

25.5% of women deciding to have an abortion want to postpone childbearing.
21.3% of women cannot afford a baby.
14.1% of women have a relationship issue or their partner does not want a child.
12.2% of women are too young (their parents or others object to the pregnancy.)
10.8% of women feel a child will disrupt their education or career.
7.9% of women want no (more) children.
3.3% of women have an abortion due to a risk to fetal health.
2.8% of women have an abortion due to a risk to maternal health.

http://www.mnstate.edu/gracyk/courses/phil%20115/Stats_on_abortion.htm

These were supposedly compiled by the Guttemacher Institute which is associated with Planned Parenthood.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guttmacher_Institute

[Hepburn]

3. Your definition of elective?

It sucks.

[sinkingfeeling]

4. Best source of abortion stats comes from the Guttmacher Institute.

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html

[Warpy]

5. First, you need to consider your terminology

Abortion falls into two categories, spontaneous and therapeutic. Spontaneous abortion is what people in a simpler time called miscarriage.

Therapeutic abortion is the medical termination of a pregnancy. The two categories are emergency, covering ruptured tubal pregnancy or failed spontaneous abortion, or elective, covering all other procedures that can be scheduled at physician, hospital and/or patient convenience. The elective abortion can be performed for the most dire of reasons. It just doesn't have to be performed in the middle of the night because a patient's life is immediately in danger.

Most abortions are elective. It doesn't mean, "Oh, I'm bored and a new pair of shoes isn't going to do it for me so I guess I will pop by the abortion clinic." It means it can be scheduled.

As for a threat to a woman's life, why the hell do you think women have abortions? Unwanted pregnancy always threatens a woman's life, health, finances, social support system, and employment.

Abortion is surgery. No sane woman wants to have surgery. It is sometimes necessary, though, and it needs to be kept safe, legal, available, and affordable.