The number of abortions has declined for the fourth consecutive year in Minnesota, hitting what may be an all-time low. Physicians performed 11,505 abortions in 2010, down 7 percent from a year earlier, the Minnesota Department of Health reported.

Health officials say the rate of abortions in 2010 may be an all-time low with 10.1 procedures per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44. It rivals a rate of 10.3 per 1,000 women in Minnesota set in 1975, when the state initially began collecting data. The most recent rate is based on a 2009 population estimate, which could change once the 2010 population figure is available, according to state health officials.

Source: The Republic