Abortion rate increases for older teens
Although there was an overall decline last year in the number of abortions in Minnesota, the number increased for the 18- and 19-year-old age group.
For those teenagers who received an abortion, the number who said that they had never used birth control increased from 116 to 150.
“Especially with teenagers, we know that almost all induced abortions are the result of an unintended pregnancy. An important piece is contraceptives,” says Wendy Hellerstedt (pictured), an associate professor at the University of Minnesota who studies trends in reproductive medicine.
The Minnesota Department of Health study also indicated that the number of pregnancies and births of Minnesota girls ages 15 to 19 increased 6 percent in 2006 — twice the national average.
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