Accidental pregnancy.

The first 200 words of this essay...

Women of all different ages, educational levels, racial and ethnic groups, social and economic classes and religions find it necessary to have an abortion when faced with accidental pregnancy. Almost half of all U.S. women will have an abortion at some point throughout their lives. While abortion rates among young, unmarried, poor and minority women are the highest, rates among those of religious, racial and ethnic groups thought to oppose abortion are high as well. Surprisingly, Catholic women have an abortion rate 29% higher than Protestant women.

About 58% of women having abortions are using some sort of contraception during the month they become pregnant, the condom being the method most commonly used. The proportion of women using a condom has increased dramatically among all groups of women having abortions; most of the increased usage replaced reliance on other barrier methods or usage of no method. Among the 42% of women who do not use any types of contraceptive methods when they become pregnant, three-quarters have used one at some point; the majority of these had most recently relied on either the pill or the condom. Fifty-three percent of prior pill users and 76% of prior condom users