- Induced abortion can be traced to ancient times. There is evidence to suggest that, historically, pregnancies were terminated through a number of methods, including the administration of abortifacient herbs, the use of sharpened implements, the application of abdominal pressure, and other techniques.
- For women choosing abortion, 52% are under 25.
- In the 20th century the Soviet Union (1919), Iceland (1935) and Sweden (1938) were among the first countries to legalize certain or all forms of abortion.
- For women ages 15-44, two out of every hundred have an abortion.
- Women who have never been married account for 2/3rds of all abortions.
- Black women are almost four times as likely to have an abortion as white women.
- Women who have never used any birth control method account for 8% of abortions.
- In 1935 Nazi Germany, a law was passed permitting abortions for those deemed "hereditarily ill," while women considered of German stock were specifically prohibited from having abortions.
- The majority of women who choose abortions have already given birth.
- During the Middle Ages, abortion was tolerated in Europe and there were no laws against it.
- For women having abortions, 43% are Protestant and 27% identify as Catholic.
- The Hippocratic Oath, the chief statement of medical ethics for Hippocratic physicians in Ancient Greece, forbade doctors from helping to procure an abortion by pessary.
- Pope Sixtus V (1585–90) is noted as the first Pope to declare that abortion is homicide regardless of the stage of pregnancy.
Facts about abortion
