Abortion Satistics for Wisconsin 2007

Since January 1, 1987, medical facilities in Wisconsin have been required to report selected information on patients who obtained induced terminations of pregnancy. Section 69.186, Wis. Stats., also mandates the Department of Health and Family Services to publish an annual demographic summary of the information reported. 

The Department of Health and Family Services produced this publication, which was prepared in the Bureau of Health Information and Policy, Division of Public Health. This annual report, Reported Induced Terminations of Pregnancy in Wisconsin, was formerly titled Reported Induced Abortions in Wisconsin. 

 

For further information about these tables, please contact:  Laura Ninneman - Division of Public Health - Bureau of Health Information and Policy - P. O. Box 309 - Madison, WI 53701-0309 - Telephone: 608-266-2838 - E-mail: ninnell@dhfs.state.wi.us  

Introduction Reported Induced Terminations of Pregnancy in Wisconsin, 2007 presents summary tables of information collected through the Wisconsin Induced Termination of Pregnancy Reporting System.  The Induced Termination of Pregnancy Report form collects only statutorily required information. Each facility that receives a supply of reporting forms is given a code number by which it is identified on the forms. That facility code and the patient number are used solely for data collection purposes, as stipulated in section 69.186, Wis. Stats.

The original reporting forms are destroyed after the data set is complete. The facility code is used for purposes of information accuracy only and is deleted from the data set after editing (the patient number is never entered).  These practices are required to ensure the anonymity of the patient who receives an induced termination of pregnancy; the health care provider who performs an induced termination of pregnancy; and the hospital, clinic or other facility in which a termination is performed. The cooperation of medical personnel who carry out the responsibility of reporting is acknowledged and appreciated.  

The tables in this publication summarize data for calendar year 2007, trend information for the years 2003-2007, and three-year annual average information by county. The tables categorize and cross-classify reported induced terminations of pregnancy by patient characteristics that include age, educational attainment, marital status, race/ethnicity, and state and county of residence; by an estimate of gestational age; and by reported complications. The data are based on reports of induced terminations of pregnancy performed in Wisconsin for both residents and non-residents.  

Data Limitations and Caveats. The accuracy of the data presented in these tables is affected by a number of factors. State and county of residence, race, ethnicity, and marital status are self-defined and reported by patients, which can affect accuracy of the characteristics measured. The education measure is defined in the reporting form as the highest grade completed; however, some patients may overlook the definitions and give the highest grade attended. A major limitation is the unknown number of induced terminations of pregnancy obtained by Wisconsin residents in other states. This report includes only those reported induced terminations that occurred in Wisconsin and cannot provide information on all Wisconsin residents who sought and obtained terminations.  Assessing the incidence of complications is somewhat problematic.

Facilities are asked to complete the reporting form during the visit in which the procedure is performed. However, some complications do not occur immediately or become apparent while the patient is in post-procedure recovery. A few providers, particularly hospitals, complete the report form at a later date using medical records. These reports are more likely to reflect later complications and they also are more likely to be for second-trimester procedures, for which there are higher risks.  

Reported Induced Terminations of Pregnancy in Wisconsin, 2007 Page 1  Key Findings  

• The number of induced terminations of pregnancy reported for Wisconsin residents in 2007 was 8,099, compared to the 9,352 reported in 2006.  

• The total number of induced terminations of pregnancy reported as occurring in Wisconsin in 2007 was 8,267, down from 9,580 in 2006 (see Table 1). This is the lowest recorded number of induced terminations in Wisconsin since 1974.  

• The estimated 2007 Wisconsin resident induced termination of pregnancy rate was 7 per 1,000 women age 15-44, compared to 8 in 2006. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the national rate was 16 per 1,000 women age 15-44 in 2004; this is the most recent year for which national data are available.  

• The estimated resident induced termination of pregnancy ratio is the number of reported induced terminations of pregnancy per 100 live births. This ratio was 11 per 100 live births in Wisconsin in 2007, a drop from 14 in 2006 (see Table 1).2 The most recent national ratio was 24 per 100 live births in 2004.  

• Women in the age group 20-24 accounted for the largest proportion (34 percent) of reported induced terminations of pregnancy to Wisconsin residents in 2007. Twelve percent of reports were for women 35 years of age or older. Those aged 18-19 obtained 10 percent of the reported induced terminations and those aged 15-17 obtained 6 percent.  

• In 2007, there were 551 induced terminations of pregnancy reported for Wisconsin residents who were minors (less than 18 years of age). Written consent (usually by a parent) was provided in 488 of these; the patient was an emancipated minor in 21; and a court granted a petition to waive the parental consent requirement in 40.  

• By law, the adult consent requirement for a minor’s induced termination of pregnancy is waived if the pregnancy was the result of sexual assault, if the procedure was a medical emergency, or if the pregnancy was the result of sexual intercourse with a caregiver. There were no such waivers reported in 2007.  

1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Abortion surveillance—United States, 2004. Surveillance Summaries, November 23, 2007. MMWR 2007:56 (No. SS-9).

2 Calculation of a true Wisconsin resident induced termination of pregnancy ratio and rate would require knowing the number of Wisconsin residents obtaining induced terminations in other states. Estimates can be made for 2007 by combining the number of reported induced terminations for Wisconsin residents obtained in Wisconsin (8,099) and in Minnesota (856 in 2006, the latest year for which figures are available) with 72,302 Wisconsin resident live births for 2006 and the estimated population of females aged 15 to 44 in Wisconsin in 2006 (1,140,293). Based on these figures, the estimated Wisconsin resident termination of pregnancy ratio in 2007 was 12 reported induced terminations per 100 live births. The 2007 estimated resident termination of pregnancy rate calculated using these figures was 8 reported induced terminations of pregnancy per 1,000 women aged 15-44.  

Reported Induced Terminations of Pregnancy in Wisconsin, 2007  

• Seventy-seven percent of reported induced terminations of pregnancy to Wisconsin residents were obtained by women who had never been married; 12 percent by currently married women; 7 percent by women who were divorced; 3 percent by women who were separated; and less than 1 percent by women who were widowed.  

• Sixty-nine percent of induced terminations of pregnancy reported for Wisconsin residents were obtained by white women, 24 percent by black women, 1 percent by American Indian women, and 4 percent by Asian/Pacific Islander women. Nine percent of terminations were obtained by Hispanic women (of any race), while 91 percent were obtained by non-Hispanic women. 

• Of the 8,099 reported induced terminations of pregnancy among Wisconsin residents in 2007, 84 percent were surgical, 15 percent were chemically induced, and 0.2 percent were surgical procedures following a failed or incomplete chemically induced termination of pregnancy. In 2005, these proportions were 85 percent, 15 percent, and 0.3 percent, respectively. 

• Forty-eight percent of reported induced terminations of pregnancy among Wisconsin residents in 2007 were obtained within the first 8 weeks of gestation.   

Reported Induced Terminations of Pregnancy in Wisconsin, 2007 Page 3 Statewide Historical Data, 1974-2007 Page 4 Reported Induced Terminations of Pregnancy in Wisconsin, 2007 

Year	Number	Ratio*
Annual Facility Survey
1974	10,920	17
1975	12,319	19
1976	14,243	22
1977	16,133	24
1978	17,764	26
1979	20,035	28
1980	21,754	29
1981	20,819	28
1982	19,412	26
1983	18,866	26
1984	18,836	26
1985	17,309	24
1986	17,454	24
Case-Based Continuous Reporting System
1987	17,318	24
1988	17,986	25
1989	17,575	25
1990	16,848	23
1991	16,237	23
1992	15,549	22
1993	14,671	21
1994	13,396	20
1995	12,782	19
1996	13,673	20
1997	13,218	20
1998	11,681	18
1999	11,013	16
2000	11,040	16
2001	10,925	16
2002	10,489	15
2003	10,557	16
2004	9,943	14
2005	9,817	14
2006	9,580	14
2007	8,267	11

 

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