nics do not have such a policy, may also contribute to delay in seeking abortion. More than 4 in 10 facilities have parental notification requirements for girls aged 15 or younger, and 3 in 10 require parental consent or notification for 17-year olds. COSTLength of gestation affects cost and access to clinic service providers as well. In 1981 the average clinic charge for a first-trimester abortion was $190.00. The cost for a second-trimester dilation and evacuation averaged $358.00. Since only 21% of clinics provide second-trimester services, teenagers who delay seeking abortion must have them in the more expensive hospital setting, where the average cost of a second trimester is $740.00.Cost continues to be an issue for teenagers. 9 in 10 teenagers aged 17 years or younger rely on their partners, parents, or Medicaid to defray the cost of abortion. In 1979, for teens 15 years or younger, 2 out of 5 had abortions paid for by their parents, one-fifth by their partners, and one-fourth by Medicaid. One-tenth shared the cost with parents or partner, and only 1 in 25 paid alone. COMPLICATIONSIt is well documented that the risk of dying from complications related to childbirth is about 7 times the risk from having an abortion, combining all weeks of gestation.Recent research suggests that teenagers have an even lower risk of death from abortion than women aged 20 years or older and have no higher risk of experiencing most of the complications associated with abortion, including fever of three or more days duration, transfusion, and unintended surgery. Cervical injury is the only complication for which teenagers have a higher risk. From 1972 to 1978, the crude death-to-case rate for teenagers was 1.3 per 100,000 procedures. In contrast, the rate was 2.9 for women 30 and older. Death-to-case rates generally increased with the womans age within each gestation period. Although abortions performed on teenagers are generally safer th...
