Skip to main content
American Journal of Public Health logoLink to American Journal of Public Health
. 1982 Aug;72(8):809–814. doi: 10.2105/ajph.72.8.809

Race-specific patterns of abortion use by American teenagers.

N V Ezzard, W Cates Jr, D G Kramer, C Tietze
PMCID: PMC1650366  PMID: 7091476

Abstract

Between 1972 and 1978, as legal abortion became more widely available nationally, abortion rates (abortions per 1,000 women) and ratios (abortions per 1,000 live births) increased for all American teenagers; from 1972 to 1975, the rates and ratios for teenagers for Black and other races increased faster than those for White teenagers. For all seven years, abortion rates were higher for teenagers of Black and other races than for white teenagers. This reflected both higher proportions of sexually active teenagers of Black and other races and a greater risk of pregnancy in these teenagers compared with White teenagers. Race-specific differences in legal abortion ratios narrowed during the seven-year interval, as did differences in alternative outcomes of teenage premarital pregnancies (term births, illegal abortions).

Full text

PDF
809

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Arney W. R., Trescher W. H. Trends in attitudes toward abortion, 1972-1975. Fam Plann Perspect. 1976 May-Jun;8(3):117–124. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Baldwin W. Adolescent pregnancy and childbearing -- an overview. Semin Perinatol. 1981 Jan;5(1):1–8. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Cates W., Jr Adolescent abortions in the United States. J Adolesc Health Care. 1980 Sep;1(1):18–25. doi: 10.1016/s0197-0070(80)80004-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cates W., Jr, Schulz K. F., Grimes D. A., Tyler C. W., Jr 1. The effect of delay and method choice on the risk of abortion morbidity. Fam Plann Perspect. 1977 Nov-Dec;9(6):266-8, 273. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Forrest J. D., Sullivan E., Tietze C. Abortion in the United States, 1977-1978. Fam Plann Perspect. 1979 Nov-Dec;11(6):329–341. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Henshaw S., Forrest J. D., Sullivan E., Tietze C. Abortion in the United States, 1978-1979. Fam Plann Perspect. 1981 Jan-Feb;13(1):6-7, 10-8. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Reichelt P. A., Werley H. H. Contraception, abortion and venereal disease: teenagers' knowledge and the effect of education. Fam Plann Perspect. 1975 Mar-Apr;7(2):83–88. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Rochat R. W., Tyler C. W., Jr, Schoenbucher A. K. An epidemiological analysis of abortion in Georgia. Am J Public Health. 1971 Mar;61(3):543–552. doi: 10.2105/ajph.61.3.543. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Shelton J. D., Brann E. A., Schulz K. F. Abortion utilization: does travel distance matter? Fam Plann Perspect. 1976 Nov-Dec;8(6):260–262. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Sklar J., Berkov B. Teenage family formation in postwar America. Fam Plann Perspect. 1974 Spring;6(2):80–90. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Tietze C. Legal abortions in the United States: rates and ratios by race and age, 1972-1974. Fam Plann Perspect. 1977 Jan-Feb;9(1):12–15. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Tietze C. United States: therapeutic abortions, 1963 to 1968. Stud Fam Plann. 1970 Nov;(59):5–7. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Torres A., Forrest J. D., Eisman S. Telling parents: clinic policies and adolescents' use of family planning and abortion services. Fam Plann Perspect. 1980 Nov-Dec;12(6):284–292. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Zabin L. S., Kantner J. F., Zelnik M. The risk of adolescent pregnancy in the first months of intercourse. Fam Plann Perspect. 1979 Jul-Aug;11(4):215–222. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Zelnik M., Kantner J. F. Attitudes of American teenagers toward abortion. Fam Plann Perspect. 1975 Mar-Apr;7(2):89–91. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Zelnik M., Kantner J. F. Contraceptive patterns and premarital pregnancy among women aged 15--19 in 1976. Fam Plann Perspect. 1978 May-Jun;10(3):135–142. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Zelnik M., Kantner J. F. Sexual activity, contraceptive use and pregnancy among metropolitan-area teenagers: 1971-1979. Fam Plann Perspect. 1980 Sep-Oct;12(5):230-1, 233-7. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from American Journal of Public Health are provided here courtesy of American Public Health Association

RESOURCES