TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Nearly 50 years ago, The U.S. Supreme Court made the landmark decision in the Roe v. Wade case that outlawing abortions would infringe on a pregnant woman's right to privacy.
Now, the Supreme Court is reportedly considering overturning the decision, which would make it possible, if not likely, that half the country will no longer have access to abortions.
But a lot has changed in those 50 years.
Abortion rates peaked around ten years after Roe v. Wade, up to nearly 30 abortions per 1,000 women, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
But in the 40 years since then, abortion rates have dropped to less than half that number, even falling below the rate from 1973, right after the Roe v. Wade verdict.
Abortions are also dropping as a share of overall pregnancies, according to data from the Guttmacher Institute.
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From around 1975 to 1985, 2 age ranges stand out as having a particularly high abortion rate: Women under 20 and over 40.
But in the 30 years since then, numbers have dropped for all age groups.
Roe v. Wade protects the right for a woman to have an abortion before fetal viability, which happens around 23 weeks into a pregnancy.
How many abortions happen in the last few weeks before viability? Very few. Less than 5% of abortions happen at or after 16 weeks. And less than 10% of abortions happen at or after 14 weeks.
The large majority of abortions happen in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy.
Who's getting abortions in recent years?
According to the C.D.C., most women who get abortions are in their 20's. Around a third are over 30. Teens make up less than 10% of abortions.
60% of women who have abortions have already had a child. Half of them have more than one child, according to C.D.C. data.
One of the biggest factors is household income.
According to the National Women's Law Center, nearly 1 in 9 women lived in poverty in 2019. Those women made up almost 1 in 2 abortions in the U.S.
Another major factor is education.
Nearly 2 of 3 women who have had an abortion have attended college, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
Less than 10% of abortions are by women who haven't completed high school.
Most women who have an abortion have not had one previously.
About a quarter of women who have an abortion have had one previously, and just under 20% have already had two or more abortions.
Nearly 50% of women who have an abortion are single and have never been married.
Nearly a quarter of women who have abortions are, or previously have been, married.
RELATED: Arizona legislators respond to Supreme Court potentially overturning Roe v. Wade
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