May 11, 2022 - News
Ohio's abortion rate is below the national average
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Ohio's abortion rate has been on the decline for several decades and is well below the national average.
Why it matters: Abortion is currently legal in Ohio up to 20 weeks of pregnancy, but that may change if the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling guaranteeing the constitutional right to an abortion is struck down.
- The state's "Heartbeat Bill" signed into law in 2019 was blocked from taking effect because of Roe.
- Republican lawmakers are considering "trigger laws" enacted by 13 other states to ban abortion if Roe is overturned.
The big picture: Ohio's abortion rate has been declining for years, according to data from the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights.
- There are 9.3 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44 here. The national rate is 13.5.
- Citing state health data, The Columbus Dispatch reports that most of the women terminating pregnancies in Ohio are unmarried, are in their 20s and are people of color.
Zoom in: The state had 14 facilities providing abortions in 2017, the last year data was available, mostly located in population centers.
- The majority of Ohioans live in counties without an abortion clinic.
