Video: Who are the women who obtain abortions in the U.S.?

Screehshot from Guttmacher Institute video.

The Guttmacher Institute on Tuesday launched its first animated short film, summarizing information about women in America who have abortions — information the institute usually releases in the form of reports and studies.

“Myths and facts presented out of context are all too common in the U.S. abortion debate,” the Guttmacher Institute said in a media release about the video. “Misinformation extends to even the most basic questions: Who are the women who obtain abortions? Why do they decide to end a pregnancy? What are their life circumstances?”

So who are they?

According to Guttmacher:

  • One in three American women have an abortion by age 45.
  • 58 percent of women who have abortions are in their 20s.
  • Fewer than two in 10 teens have abortions.
  • Six in 10 women who have abortions already have a child, many of them have two or more.
  • Many women who have abortions are religiously affiliated.
  • One in three women who have abortions are white.
  • In 2008 four in 10 of women who had an abortion had incomes below the federal poverty line.
  • Women of color are disproportionately likely to have an abortion. Black and Hispanic women have much higher rates of unintended pregnancy.

“Broad social and economic inequities must be addressed,” says the video’s narroator. “But at a minimum, contraception should be easy to get and use for all.”

Watch the video:

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