ABORTION PATIENTS IN 1994-1995 - CHARACTERISTICS AND CONTRACEPTIVE USE

Results of a 1994-1995 national survey of 9,985 abortion patients reve al that women who live with a partner outside marriage or have no reli gious identification are 3.5-4.0 times as likely as women in the gener al population to have an abortion. Nonwhites, women aged 18-24, Hispan ics, separated and never-married women, and those who have an annual i ncome of less than $15,000 or who are enrolled in Medicaid are 1.6-2.2 times as likely to do so; residents of metropolitan counties have a s lightly elevated likelihood of abortion. When age is controlled, women who have had a live birth are more likely to have an abortion than ar e those who have never had children. Catholics are as likely as women in the general population to have an abortion, while Protestants are o nly 69% as likely and Evangelical or born-again Christians are only 39 % as likely. Since 1987, the proportion of abortions obtained by Hispa nic women and the abortion rate among Hispanics relative to that for o ther ethnic groups have increased. The proportion of abortion patients who had been using a contraceptive during the month they became pregn ant rose from 51% in 1987 to 58%. Nonuse is most common among women wi th low education and income, blacks, Hispanics, unemployed women and t hose who want more children. The proportion of abortion patients whose pregnancy is attributable to condom failure has increased from 15% to 32%, while the proportions reporting the failure of other barrier met hods and spermicides have decreased.