Abortion rates in the United States appear to have declined significantly in the past 30 years from a peak of 29.3 abortions per 1,000 women in 1981 to 19.4 in 2005. But this is not the only change in abortion rates registered in the last 30 years. Compared to 30 years ago, women having abortions today are older and more likely to be mothers and minorities, according to a study released Sept. 23 by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Guttmacher Institute.

“There’s been a shift in the population of women obtaining abortions relative to 30 years ago. They are older, they are more likely to be unmarried, more likely to be mothers, and they are more likely to be women of color,” Rachel Jones, senior research associate at the institute said.

The organization looked at trends in abortion since 1974, a year after the Supreme Court passed Roe v. Wade, making the abortion legal in the US. Surprisingly, teen abortions saw a bigger drop in abortion rate than any other demographic over the past 30 years, the study found. The abortion rate of women younger than 20 fell gradually, from 33 percent in 1974 to 17 percent in 2004. In girls younger than 18 it dropped from 15 percent in 1974 to 6 percent in 2004.

“We've done a great job educating kids about the risks of sexual behavior and proper contraceptive use,” Jones said.

On the other hand, the rate for women ages 20-24 is almost 10 points higher than it was in 1974. The abortion rate in their case hit 30.4 abortions per 1,000 women in 1974, spiking to 53.8 in 1989 and declining to 39.9 in 2004. Women ages 25-29 follow a similar pattern with a spike in the ‘80s and a decline in recent years.

The researchers couldn’t give a reason for these findings, but they believe that public health initiatives have focused on reducing pregnancy and abortions among teenagers, as they are the most vulnerable group, and haven’t put much thought into how to educate older groups. Other experts say that these women might lack health insurance once they’re out of high school. Therefore, they don’t have access to medical counseling and affordable contraceptives.

“We've done a lot for adolescents and teens but need to expand those efforts to reach adult women. We haven't taken care of women in their 20s,” Jones said.

The study also found that black and Hispanic women abort their pregnancies at rates three to five times the rate of white women. Three percent of Hispanic women and 5 percent of black women had an abortion in 2004 compared to just 1 percent of white women. The news is not new considering the fact that most of these women lack health insurance; therefore, the possibility of having contraceptives is reduced.

“When you don't have access to affordable birth control, rates of unintended pregnancy are going to be higher. That's a sad and real-life consequence of the health insurance gap,” said. Laurie Rubiner, Planned Parenthood’s vice-president of public policy.