AN ECONOMIC-ANALYSIS OF PREGNANCY RESOLUTION IN VIRGINIA - SPECIFIC AS TO RACE AND RESIDENCE

This study analyses an economic model of pregnancy resolution; that is , a model of the choice by a pregnant woman to abort her fetus or carr y it to term. This analysis, using an analytical model derived from th e household utility framework, adds to previous research by presenting race and residence specific estimates of how individual characteristi cs, history of abortion, and the community-based factors determine wom en's choices of giving birth vs. abortion. The main data for estimatin g the model were drawn from the 1984 vital statistics of all induced a bortions and live births in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The major fi ndings indicate that low parental education, high maternal age, previo us early abortions, and the availability of abortion providers all sig nificantly reduce the probability of choosing the live birth option. M arried status and the availability of family planning clinics signific antly increase the probability of the live birth option. The findings also suggest that women's choices between abortion and live birth vary substantially with race (white vs. black) and residential (urban vs. rural) location.