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'08 Walk for Life * PICTURES FROM 2006 MARCH FOR LIFE * Pregnancy Centers          About Us Volunteer Donate Home |
Data provided to TDH as part of this Act include:
The report is submitted on a form provided by the Statistical Services Division of the Bureau of Vital Statistics. The Bureau of Vital Statistics has been involved in the collection, analysis and dissemination of these data since 1990. Requests for more specific information than that contained in this report should be directed to the Statistical Services Division, TDH. Total pregnancies are underreported because fetal deaths of less than 20 weeks gestation are not required to be reported.
 Number of Induced Abortions In 1999, a total of 80,739 induced abortions were reported to the Texas Department of Health (TDH). This number includes all induced abortions performed in Texas plus those obtained in other states by Texas residents. There were 1,095 fewer induced terminations of pregnancy (abortions) reported to TDH in 1999 than in 1998. Texas residents obtained 77,291 (95.7 percent) of the total abortions reported. The number of reported induced abortions decreased each year since 1990 except during 1995 to 1996 when they increased slightly. This year, the total number of induced abortions reported to TDH decreased by 1.3 percent (there were 81,834 in 1998). Induced Abortion Rate and Ratio & Percent of Pregnancies Resulting in Induced Abortion The abortion rate, the abortion ratio and the percent of pregnancies resulting in induced abortion all decreased slightly in 1999. The abortion rate, the total number of induced abortions among Texas residents of all ages per 1,000 women aged 15-44 years, was 16.8 in 1999 compared to 17.4 in 1998. The 1999 abortion ratio, the total number of induced abortions among Texas residents per 1,000 live births, was 221.4 in 1999 down from 230.5 in 1998. In 1999, 18.0 percent of all reported pregnancies among Texas residents resulted in induced abortions compared to 18.6 percent in 1998. (Reported pregnancies equal the sum of reported live births, fetal deaths and induced abortions.) Age, Race/Ethnicity & Marital Status Of women with a reported age, 57.6 percent were 20-29 years. Approximately 16.2 percent of abortions were obtained by women 16-19 years of age, while only 1.3 percent of abortions were obtained by teens 15 years of age or younger. The mean age of Texas residents who obtained abortions in 1999 was 25.5 years, and the age at which the greatest number of abortions were performed was 22 years. Among Texas residents with reported race information, 38.8 percent of abortions were obtained by white women, 21.7 percent by black women, 34.7 percent by Hispanic women, 4.9 percent by women of other racial/ethnic groups. In comparison, the 1999 Texas female population 15 to 44 years of age was 52.6 percent white, 12.4 percent black, 31.7 percent Hispanic, and 3.3 percent other racial/ethnic groups. Approximately 21.6 percent of Texas resident abortions were obtained by married women. Black women obtaining abortions were the least likely to be married. Hispanic women were slightly more likely to be married than white women, and Asian women were the most likely to be married of all racial/ethnic groups. Gestation, Facility & Procedure Of those for whom information was available, more than half (59.1 percent) of all abortions among Texas residents occurred at 8 or fewer weeks gestation, and more than three-fourths (78.7 percent) were performed at 10 weeks gestation or earlier. Only 3.9 percent of Texas resident abortions were performed at 17 weeks gestation or later, and only 1.2 percent were performed at 21 or more weeks gestation. The vast majority--88.2 percent of resident abortions--were performed in abortion clinics. Eleven percent were performed in physicians' offices, 0.6 percent in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. One tenth of one percent of abortions reported were performed in out-of-state facilities. Suction Curettage was the most common abortion procedure (89.5 percent of Texas resident abortions) followed by dilation and evacuation (8.5 percent). Previous Pregnancies Fifty-nine and two-tenths percent of Texas residents who obtained abortions in 1999 underwent their first abortion. Twenty-seven and three-tenths percent had one prior abortion, 9.0 percent had two prior abortions and 4.6 percent had three or more previous abortions. Forty and seven-tenths percent of Texas resident abortions occurred among women who had not had any live births. Twenty-eight percent had one live birth, 20.0 percent had two live births and 11.4 percent had three or more live births. Notes Percentages reported in this narration do not include unknowns in the denominator. You may, however, see Table 33 for counts on data reported as "Not Stated."
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