Fact Sheet: Young Women and Abortion

Young women belonging to the post-Roe v. Wade generations have never known illegal abortion. They tend to take abortion for granted, seeing it as something they're entitled to, not something to fight for. Although 55% of all women who seek abortions are under 251, young women are often unaware of the obstacles to services that are created by restrictions on abortion.

Many young women face unplanned pregnancies, despite increased contraceptive use.
  • Nationally, 9 in 10 sexually active women and their partners use a contraceptive method, although not always consistently or correctly.2
  • 76% of women used contraception at first intercourse in the 1990s, compared with 50% before 1980.3
  • But contraception is not fool-proof:: 6 out of 10 women who seek abortions experienced contraceptive failure.4
  • Each year, almost one million teenage women - 11% of all women aged 15-19 and 20% of those who have had sexual intercourse - become pregnant.2
  • 78% of teen pregnancies are unplanned, accounting for ¼ of all accidental pregnancies annually.2
  • Nearly 4 in 10 teen pregnancies (excluding miscarriages) end in abortion.2
  • 52% of U.S. women obtaining abortions are younger than 25: Women aged 20-24 obtain 32% of all abortions, and teenagers obtain 20%.1


    • Restrictions on abortion disproportionately affect teenage women.
  • 39 states, including Alaska, have parental involvement laws on the books for abortion. These laws are enforced in 31 states.6
  • 61% of teens having abortions do so with at least one parent’s knowledge.2


  • 27 states and the District of Columbia have laws that specifically authorize a pregnant minor to obtain prenatal care and delivery services without parental notification,7 representing a double standard in our commitment to young women’s health.


    • Young women are unaware of obstacles to health care created by restrictions on abortion.
    In 1998 the Pro-Choice Public Education Project (PEP) conducted polls with young women across the country. The PEP poll found that a majority of young women support the availability of legal abortion and consider themselves pro-choice. However, young women are often unaware of how restrictions such as parental involvement laws, a shortage of providers, a lack of funding, biased counseling requirements and mandatory waiting periods can interfere with their ability to exercise the right to choose abortion. The Real Women, Real Choices Campaign is designed to educate young women and the public about the impact of these restrictions.


    Sources: 1. Alan Guttmacher Institute, "Induced Abortion", 2000. 2. Alan Guttmacher Institute, "Teen Sex and Pregnancy, 1998. 3. Alan Guttmacher Institute, "Contraceptive Use", 1998. 4. Alan Guttmacher Institute, "Facts in Brief: Induced Abortion", 1996. 6. NARAL, Who Decides: A State-by-State Review of Abortion and Reproductive Rights, 1998. 7. Alan Guttmacher Institute, "Teenagers’ Right to Consent to Reproductive Healthcare", 1997.


    Used with permission from the Abortion Access Project. Copyright 1998-2002, Abortion Access Project. All rights reserved. Other copyrights may also apply. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. Abortion Access Project - 552 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite 215 - Cambridge, MA 02139 USA phone: (617) 661-1161 - fax: (617) 492-1915