Lincoln, NE (LifeNews.com) -- A new report from the Nebraska state health department shows the number of abortions has dropped 15 percent from the previous year. This is the fourth consecutive year that abortions have declined in the Midwestern state, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

The new numbers are a historic low since the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973 that authorized virtually unlimited abortions throughout pregnancy.

The new report shows 2,481 abortions in 2007 -- which are not only a significant decrease from 2006 but a 22 percent drop from the 3,173 that were done in 2005.

The new health department report shows about two-thirds of the abortions done in 2007 were on women saying it was their first time to have an abortion, with the rest of the women getting abortions having had at least one before.

Some 24 percent indicated the abortion was their second and another 7 percent of women reported having their third abortion. Another 1 percent reported having five or more abortions -- clearing using it as a method of birth control.

Last year, more than a couple hundred abortions were done on out of state residents with 194 done on Iowa women and another 41 done on women from South Dakota
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Abortion totals have been drastically declining recently in Nebraska.

In 1974, there were 3,094, and in 1975, there were 3,406 abortions performed. In 1990, there were 6,346 abortions -- the highest single-year tally ever recorded in Nebraska.

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