Washington D.C., Jan 17, 2008 / 21:17 pm
The number of abortions committed in the United States in 2005 dropped to 1.2 million, the lowest level since 1976, the Washington Post reports.
The figure comes from a new report by the Allan Guttmacher Institute, a research group associated with Planned Parenthood. The institute surveyed 1,787 abortion providers in 2005, the first such study since 2000.
The total number of surgical abortions among women aged 15-44 declined from 1.3 million in 2000 to 1.2 million in 2005. The eight percent drop continues a downward trend begun in 1990, when abortions peaked at 1.6 million. The previous low for abortion numbers was registered in 1976, when 1.2 million abortions were performed.
The abortion rate in 2005 declined to 19.4 per 1,000 women, falling from 21.3 per 1,000 in 2000. The rate had peaked at 29.3 in 1981.