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According to a recent CDC report based on voluntary reporting by 47 states, the District of Columbia, and New York City, the number of legal induced abortions in the U.S. dropped from 848,163 in 2003 to 839,226 in 2004. This 1.1% decrease fits into an overall 15-year decline that had been interrupted only during 2003. In 2004, the abortion rate (number per 1000 women aged 15–44) was 16 — a consistent figure since 2000 — and the abortion ratio (number per 1000 live births) was 238, down from 241 in 2003.
Most abortions (88%) were performed during the first trimester, and more than one half (61%) were performed at ≤8 weeks’ gestation. Almost 10% of the reported procedures were medical abortions. The age distribution of women having abortions h…