MICH. — Future abortion restrictions may impact tens of thousands of women in Michigan according to figures from the state health department.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human services tracks abortions through a variety of demographics and compiles it into an annual report.
FOX 17 dug through the most recent one on Monday.
A total of 30,074 abortions were reported in Michigan in 2021, which was a 1.4% increase from 2020.
However, it was a 38.7% decrease from the state’s highest reported total in 1987.
In 2009, 22,357 abortions were reported, the lowest total since Michigan began to track terminated pregnancies in 1982.
Michigan residents received 94.5% of abortions in 2021.
Among all reported abortions, 88.9% involved pregnancies of 12 weeks of less.
Locally, 2,886 were reported in Kent, Allegan, Ottawa, Kalamazoo, and Muskegon counties.
Kent County made up roughly half of the reported abortions, followed by Kalamazoo County.
However, when adjusted to population sizes, Muskegon County had the highest rate of abortions at 13.4% per 1,000 females.
According to the MDHHS report, 67.5% of women who had an abortion in 2021 had a previous term pregnancy.
Of those women, 41.6% had at least two or more term pregnancies.
Women over the age of 30 were more likely to seek termination services in 2021.
27% of women were under the age of 25, while 7.6% were younger than 20 years old.
MDHHS says the reported rates are smaller proportions than the 64.6% and 30.6% observed, respectively, in 1985.
More than half of the women who had an abortion in 2021 were Black.
According to the report, 55.6% of women who received an abortion were Black, 35% were white, 2.8% were Hispanic, 1.8% were Asian / Pacific Islander, and 0.6% were American Indian.
Women who had an abortion in 2021 were less likely to be married too.
MDHHS data shows that 85.1% of women who terminated their pregnancy were not married.
Information on a women’s education or income level was not available.
To read the full report, click here.
