Minnesota sees a 2 percent decline in abortions in 2018

The overall number of abortions performed in Minnesota declined by 2 percent in 2018, despite an increase in the number of out-of-state women who traveled to Minnesota for the procedure, according to statistics released Monday by the state Department of Health.

There were 9,910 abortions performed in Minnesota in 2018, down from 10,134 the year before. While the overall numbers declined, the number of people who traveled to Minnesota for an abortion increased by 8 percent over 2017, with the bulk of out-of-state residents traveling from Wisconsin, the data shows.

The statistics also show that fewer teenagers and women under age 20 received abortions in 2018. That number was 809, down from 841 a year before. The number of women in that age group receiving abortions has declined by about 17 percent over the last five years.

The vast majority of abortions were performed in a woman's first trimester.

Minnesota law also requires reporting on the rare occasions in which an infant is born alive after an abortion, an issue that has become a flashpoint in some states that have proposed penalizing doctors who do not take lifesaving measures. Wisconsin lawmakers passed such a bill this year, but Democratic Gov. Tony Evers vetoed it.

Three infants were born alive after an abortion attempt in Minnesota in 2018, and none survived. In one case, the infant had anomalies incompatible with life and no lifesaving measures were taken. In another, the infant was previable. And in the third, comfort care was provided as planned.