Problem Definition Paper: Annotated

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Running Head: NUMBER OF ABORTIONS

Lab # 6

Number of Abortions: Looking at the Magnitude, Scope, Changes, and Disparities of

Abortion

Jazmine Norwood

SOWK 300

Tuskegee University

February 13, 2009

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Magnitude of Abortion

This graph shows the total number of abortions from 1990 to 2004. The

large amount of abortions happened in earlier years and it shows that many

women were probably unaware of the alternatives to abortion. It seems that

abortion was the only choice for women who did not want to continue

pregnancy and may explain why the numbers of abortions were so high. This

problem does not only affect women but it affects the population of the

world. Such high numbers of abortions could cause a decrease in population

and would cause the human race to die out slowly. This may have been the
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case in earlier years but in recent years the number of abortions has

lessened and gives the survival of the human race a better chance to thrive.

Scope of Abortion

This graph shows that in the United States races other than African

Americans and Caucasians had lower numbers in abortion but in later years

the number began to increase. Abortion does occur all over the world but in

some countries this type of procedure is prohibited. In earlier years the

numbers of abortions may have been low because family values among

other races are stronger. Another factor may be due to the number of people

moving to the United States and leaving their cultural beliefs behind. For
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some, cultural beliefs may stay the same but to have the opportunity to have

a choice and have the technology available to perform this procedure; the

decision of other races to abort a pregnancy may be influenced by this.

Changes in Abortion over the Years

As stated previously, abortion rates were high in earlier years. 1990

showed the highest numbers of abortions. Many factors could contribute to

this including the unawareness of alternatives to abortion, younger women

not ready to care for a child emotionally or mentally, or financial problems.

As years passed abortion rates decreased slowly which could show the

increasing awareness of abortion alternatives.

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Disparities in Abortion

This graph shows the correlation between the number of abortions and

race. Results show that Caucasians had the highest rates compare to African

Americans. Although rates for both races deceased slowly African Americans

totaled to a third of the rates of Caucasians. Factors contributing to this could

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be the financial aspect between the two races. Caucasians may have been

more financially stable than African Americans which would allow Caucasians

to have an abortion more willingly. There may also be a greater family

support in the African American culture which could explain the low number

of abortions among this race.

Conclusion and Summary

Abortion has been a major controversy in the recent years. There are

two sides to this view: Pro-Life, that abortion is wrong and Pro-Choice, it is

the choice of the woman whether they want to abort or not. Another aspect

to this problem is the question of when does life actually begin, at

conception or when the heart begins to beat? There are some cases where a

mother may not want to abort but due to unfortunate circumstances the

mother’s life may be in danger and abortion is the only option. Cases like this

are what leave some people on both sides of this problem. After viewing data

tables of different races the results showed that African Americans rates

were lower than white counterparts. If rates were to increase over the years

the populations of blacks would decrease and a reason for the lower rates

now could be due to family values or lack of financial income. These graphs

show how abortion rates have changed over the years. This evidence shows

that with time the numbers of abortions can continue to decrease and the

human population can continue to grow. This problem is no longer as big a

problem as it was in the past. This shows that more women are considering

alternatives to abortion. This could also be a sign that indicates the values of
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women are staying strong and that family supports are more prevalent.

These results also show that society is being more accepting of teenage

pregnancy and many women are no longer pressured as they were in the

past to be married and that single parenting is not so much as a stigma.