News

Categories

2019 Abortion Numbers Up Slightly in Louisiana

There were 8,144 abortions in Louisiana in 2019, according to preliminary figures provided recently to Louisiana Right to Life by the Louisiana Department of Health. This is less than a 1 percent increase in the number of abortions from 2018, when 8,097 abortions were reported.

Despite the slight increase in the numbers from 2018 to 2019, abortion numbers are 20 percent lower than they were in 2014, when 10,211 abortions were done in Louisiana. The number of abortions performed in the state had increased steadily from 2008-2014 before the numbers began to decline.

While Shreveport’s Hope Medical Group for Women remains the state’s largest provider of abortion, there was a small decrease (201) in the number of abortions done at that location in 2019. Women’s Health Care Center in New Orleans had the largest spike in the number of abortions done in 2019, with an increase of 385. The number of abortions done at Delta Clinic in Baton Rouge decreased by 137 from 2018 to 2019.

The state report provides a breakdown on things such as gestational age of the baby, age of the mother, race of the mother, and marital status of the mother.

Those breakdowns include:

  • There were 8,144 abortions performed in 2019. That means there were, on average, 22 abortions per day.
  • 26 girls under the age of 15 had abortions in 2019. Another 726 girls between the ages of 15-19 aborted their babies.
  • The largest number of abortions – 2,521- were performed on women between the ages of 25-29. Women ages 20-24 were right behind at 2,302. There were also 1,030 women ages 35 and older who had abortions in 2019.
  • African-American women accounted for 63% of abortions performed in 2019.
  • 85% of women who had abortions in 2019 were unmarried.
  • 69% of babies were aborted within eight weeks of pregnancy.

“While abortions did increase by a small amount in 2019 over 2018, we have seen a 20 percent decrease in abortion in Louisiana since 2014,” said Benjamin Clapper, Executive Director of Louisiana Right to Life. “The absence of a significant increase in 2019 leaves us hopeful that the trend of fewer abortions in Louisiana will continue. However, 8,144 abortions in 2019 means 8,144 human beings will never celebrate their own birthdays. These 8,144 human beings will never enjoy life in Louisiana, and we mourn their passing.

“The pro-life movement is committed to saving every life and serving every mother with the resources they need to parent or place their child for adoption. We look forward to a day when all babies are protected from the injustice of abortion.”

Click Here to Learn More About the 2019 Abortion Statistics