High cost of abortion is associated with lower pregnancy rate, US study finds

Women’s sexual behaviour is influenced by the cost of having an abortion, new research in the United States shows.

It found that a 10% increase in the cost of an abortion was associated with a 6.5% drop in the pregnancy rate among women of childbearing age (Social Science Journal doi: 10.1016/j.soscij.2007.12.009).

It also found that the pregnancy rate among women of childbearing age, and particularly among teenagers, was lower in states with laws requiring the notification or permission of a parent before a minor can obtain an abortion. However, it found no such …