Lincoln, NE (LifeNews.com) -- A new report from Nebraska shows the number of abortions there falling to their lowest levels since 1974, when the state first started keeping track of abortions after Roe v. Wade. That means Nebraska is following the national trend that has shown abortions declining across the country to historic lows.

Officials with the Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska at Omaha prepared a report on the number of births in the state and also looked at the abortion figures.

The number of abortions in Nebraska, 90 percent of which are done on state residents, peaked at 6,346 in 1990 and has steadily declined since. Thirteen of the past 16 years have shown an annual decline in the number of abortions from the previous years.

The 2006 figure of 2,927 induced abortions was the lowest number that occurred in the state since record-keeping began in 1974.

The abortion ratio per 1,000 live births and abortion rate per 1,000 Nebraska women age 15-44 are each at approximately half the peak level that occurred around 1990.

The figures also show teen abortions have declined significantly.

While teens accounted for more than 40 percent of all abortions in the 1970s, they comprise only about 15 percent currently. A larger percentage of Nebraska abortions now occur among women age 30 and older.

The 20-29 age range has always experienced the highest percentage of abortions in the state and that trend continues with a move from about 44-48 percent in the late 1970s to 58.3 percent in 2006.

The abortion ratios have dropped across the board and now just 10.95 percent of pregnancies in Nebraska end in abortion as a opposed to just over 25 percent 20 years ago.

Teenagers still have the highest abortion ratio compared with carrying the baby to term and 21.77 percent of teen pregnancies now end in abortions compared with 11.09 percent of 20-year-olds and 8.28 percent for women 30 and over.

 

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