Fewer New York City women are having abortions now than at any time since the procedure became legal in the state in 1970.
Of 197,046 viable pregnancies, 73,815, or about 37 percent, ended in “induced terminations” in 2012, a new city Health Department report reveals.
The abortion rate dropped 8.6 percent from 2011, and it has fallen 19 percent since 2003 and 22 percent since 2000, according to the analysis.
The city’s abortion rate is still double the national average, but opponents of abortion applauded the substantial reductions.
“We have been raising awareness about New York City’s high rate of abortion for the past four years, and we are certainly encouraged by the progress during that time,” said Greg Pfundstein, president of the conservative Chiaroscuro Foundation, which supports programs to reduce abortions.
Also, fewer city teenage girls are getting pregnant in the first place. The rate among teen girls sunk to a new low of 23.6 births per 1,000. That’s an 8.5 percent drop from 2011, when there were 25.8 births per 1,000.
The teenage birth rate has plunged by one-third since 2003, the Health Department’s Vital Statistics 2012 report said.
“Increased use of the most effective contraceptive methods — IUDs and contraceptive implants — has likely contributed to this significant decline. IUDs and implants are 99 percent effective at preventing pregnancy,” the department said.
The agency said it will work to improve sex education and contraception to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
“You have more acceptance of sex education and responsible use of contraceptives. That’s why we’re seeing positive reductions,” state Assembly Health Committee Chairman Richard Gottfried (D-Manhattan).
Bronx had the highest abortion rate by far, 47 percent, followed by 32 percent in Brooklyn, 26 percent in Manhattan and Queens, and 19 percent in The Bronx.
The racial-ethnic breakdown shows the abortion rate was 61 percent among black women, 35 percent among Hispanics and about 14 percent among whites and Asians