About a quarter of all teenage pregnancies in the U.S. end in abortion.
Four in five (82 percent)
teenage pregnancies are unintended, and two out of every five (37 percent) unintended teen
pregnancies in 2006 ended in abortion.
Teens may choose to have an abortion because they
have concerns about how having a baby would derail important personal goals (for example,
completing their education); they worry about the financial responsibilities associated with
parenthood; or they feel that they are not mature enough to become a parent.
Teen abortion
rates are sensitive to a number of factors, including whether pregnancies are intended, personal
choice, and policies that expand or restrict access to abortion.