Assessing the Use of Abortion Services in Asian Populations in New York City, 2008-2015

Sheila Desai , Guttmacher Institute

Introduction: Despite the size of the Asian population in New York City (NYC) and the city’s robust abortion surveillance system, abortion-related estimates for Asian groups in NYC have not been calculated previously. Methods: NYC surveillance data from 2008-2015 are used to calculate abortion rates, pregnancy rates, and abortion ratios for Asian women overall, disaggregated by ethnicity and nativity status, and for other major racial/ethnic groups in NYC. These measures are compared between groups and over time. Results: Pregnancy rates, abortion rates, and abortion ratios differed between Asians overall, Asian subgroups, and other major racial/ethnic groups in NYC during 2014-2015. Estimates for each measure generally declined between 2008 and 2015. Conclusion: These findings reinforce the need for disaggregated abortion data by race/ethnicity and nativity within the Asian population and reveal changes over time in abortion service use in NYC. Continued and granular surveillance of abortion in these groups is needed.

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 Presented in Session 10. Fertility, Family Planning, Sexual Behavior & Reproductive Health 2