2019 West Virginia Abortion Percentages by Race

West Virginia Abortion

West Virginia is the tenth-smallest state by area. In addition to that, less than 5% of the state population is black. With that, West Virginia abortion numbers provide a good example of racial disparities in the number and percentages of abortion in the United States.

Basically, we are misled if we only look at the overall number of abortions. The disparities aren’t exactly obvious. But, as in other instances, once we frame these numbers in terms of percentages, it becomes painfully apparent. As always, the picture lies within the percentages. We’ll look at those numbers and make the picture more clear when it comes to abortion in West Virginia and how it looks for black people.

That said, in this post (as in others), we’ll look at the; number of abortions, percentage of abortion, and percentage of population. Take a look at the table below.

West Virginia Number of Reported Abortions - 1,183 (100%)
	Black	White	Hispanic	Other
Number of Abortions	153	987	---	---
Percentage of Abortions	12.9%	83.4%	---	---
Percentage of Population	3.7%	93.1%	1.5	1.7

Number of Abortions

It all starts with the number of abortions. In short, they serve as the foundation of our understanding. In 2019, there were around 1,183 abortions. This figure includes all of the racial subcategories with a 100% accuracy. Of those abortion procedures, 153 of them involved members of the black population. On the other hand, white abortions numbered 987. The remaining racial categories (Hispanics and Others) accounted for the remaining 43 abortions. It’s important to note that the numbers in these last two groups lacked sufficient data for accurate race attribution.

Percentage of Abortions

Here we are presented with the first major observation that should make us pay attention. Black abortions in the state of West Virginia account for 12.9 percent of the abortions in 2019. On the surface, this isn’t really that much. On the other hand, white abortions make up the lion’s share at 83.4 percent. Again, the Hispanic and Others category groups have insufficient data for accurate presentation. The reason the black percentage number looks so small here is because, up until this point, we are looking at it in a vacuum. Let’s see what happens when we consider it along with the percentage of population.

Percentage of Population

Now comes the most telling part of the whole equation, the percentage of population. This number represents the percentages of the population that each racial demographic or category represents. And, it shines a bright light on what is happening in West Virginia. Here, Blacks made up around 3.7 percent of the population. Whites, by far the majority, made up around 93.1 percent. Hispanics only accounted for around 1.5 percent. And, the Others category includes the rest at around 3.5 percent.

What the West Virginia Abortion Numbers Tell Us

So, what do the West Virginia abortion numbers show us. Firstly, they illustrate yet another huge discrepancy regards to the black population. Blacks, again, experience abortions at a disproportionate rate.

Recap

• Blacks represented only 3.7 percent of the population
• Black abortions represented 12.9 percent of the state’s procedures
• The black percentage of abortions (and only the black) vastly exceeded the groups percentage of the population

Conclusion

With those three sets of numbers, we have a clear idea of what happened in West Virginia in 2019. Another example highlighting issues of race and abortion.

Unfortunately, it’s bigger than just West Virginia. However, if you are just diving deeper into the topic, this is a great place to start.

Even in a state with such a small black population, the problem exists in line with trends elsewhere.

Peace