AS ABORTION becomes a major issue in the election campaigns, a new study reveals that more than half of American women having abortions were also using contraceptives in the month they became pregnant. But abortions have dropped by 10 per cent in recent years and are now running at about 1.4 million a year.
The abortion rate is highest among single, poor members of minority groups hut the bulk of abortions occur among women who make up most of the female population, namely, white, middle class, and identified with a religion.
Fewer teenagers, however, are having abortions compared to an earlier study in 1987.
The study also reveals that abortion rates among Catholic women are 29 per cent higher than among Protestant women and that one in five women getting abortions identify themselves as a "born again" or evangelical Christian. Of the women getting abortions, 37 per cent were listed as Protestant and 31 per cent as Catholic but of the total women of child bearing age, 54 per cent are Protestant and 31 per cent are Catholic.
A spokeswoman for the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, Ms Helen Alvare said she did not question the numbers cited as Catholics but did question whether those women were practising Catholics. She said that the higher rate among Hispanics, many of whom are Catholics, may reflect the social pressures on these women to have abortions, especially if they are poor and recent immigrants.
The survey is based on answers by nearly 10,000 abortion patients during 1994-1995 and was conducted by the Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) which is linked to the Planned Parenthood Federation in the US and favours a pro choice attitude.
The study should counter the notion that "abortion happens to bad women, irresponsible women, women who never use contraception," Ms Jeannie Rosoff of the AGI said. Condoms were involved in 56 per cent of the birth control failures, up from 29 per cent in 1987.
Black or Hispanic women who are poor and live with someone to whom they are not married continue to have a statistically disproportionate share of abortions.
Thus non white women make up 19 per cent of the child bearing age of the population but account for 39 per cent of all abortions, the author of the survey, Mr Alan Henshaw, said.
Meanwhile, a compromise has been reached in the battle over the abortion wording in the platform of the Republican Party Convention which will be approved next week in San Diego.
Although the "tolerance: clause which Mr Dole wanted to accompany the plank calling for a constitutional ban on abortion had to be scrapped because of the protests of the anti abortion delegates, the views of the pro choice Republicans will be included in "an appendix" to the document.
. The Democratic Party could regain control of the US Congress, which they lost two years ago to Republicans, according to a CBS News/New York Times poll published yesterday.
The poll found 55 per cent of voters had a favourable opinion of the Democratic Party, while 46 per cent had a favourable opinion of the Republican Party.
The poll also found that President Clinton continued to hold a wide lead 56 to 34 per cent - over Sen Dole for the presidential vote.