On November 25, 2014, the Illinois Department of Public Health released the 2013 abortion statistics for the state of Illinois. The report shows Illinois abortions fell 5.7% in 2013 to their lowest rate since 1974, with 40,750 abortions. Abortions in every age category, except the 45+, showed a decline in 2013.
Most notably, in August of 2013, the Illinois Parental Notification Law went into effect requiring children under the age of 18 to notify one parent or guardian before obtaining an abortion. With that law in effect for only the last four months of 2013, we see a dramatic 20% decrease in the number of minors obtaining abortions pointing to increased parental involvement and a positive effectiveness of the law. In 2013, 1,762 abortions were performed on minors 17 years old and younger in contrast to the 2,213 in 2012. The number of abortions performed on girls 14 years old and younger dropped 31.6% in 2013 to 149 – the lowest number in at least 18 years.
The most abortions in the state occurred in Cook County with 23,896 in 2013. This number is down about one thousand less abortions since 2012. DuPage County had the second highest number of abortions in the state with 1,786. This number is down about 200 abortions from the previous year. Will County’s number of abortions declined by about 70 from the previous year with 1,460 abortions in 2013. Kane County’s number of abortions declined by about 250 with 1,036 abortions in 2013.
The full report can be viewed here.
By Emily Zender, Illinois Right to Life via Illinois Review
