How many abortions have been performed in the united States since it was legalized nationwide?

Since the legalization of abortion in 1973, there have been approximately 50 million abortions performed in the United States.

Source: Guttmacher Institute. 2008, July. Facts on Induced Abortion in the United States. http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html

What percentage of pregnancies end in abortion?

About 23% of all pregnancies end in abortion in the United States. There were 1.21 million abortions in 2005 compared to 4.14 million live births.

Source: Johnston, Wm. Robert. Historical Abortion Statistics, United States. http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/ab-unitedstates.html

... half of all abortions are performed on women 24 years old or younger.

... approximately 89% of abortions occur in the first trimester (first 12 weeks) of pregnancy.

What percentage of all abortions are because of “hard cases”?

The three most frequently cited “hard cases” in which some argue abortion might be justified are rape, incest and protecting the life of the mother. However, women rarely report that they are seeking an abortion for any of these reasons:

Rape: 0.3%

Incest: 0.03%

Protection of mother’s life: 0.2%

In other words, out of 1,000 women procuring abortion, only three cite rape as the primary reason, and only two cite protecting her life as the reason for the abortion. Out of 10,000 women procuring abortion, only three cite incest as a reason.

Source: Johnston, Wm. Robert. Reasons Given For Having Abortions In The United States. http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/abreasons.html

Is Abortion Ever Necessary to Save a Woman’s Life?

Abortion is never necessary to save a woman’s life. Four hundred and eighty physicians have signed a public declaration stating: “I agree that there is never a situation in the law or in the ethical practice of medicine where a preborn child’s life need be intentionally destroyed by procured abortion for the purpose of saving the life of the mother.”

Source: American Life League. Declaration: Protecting the Life of the Mother. http://all.org/article.php?id=10682