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Induced abortions
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Canadian women obtained fewer induced abortions in 2005 compared with the previous year, and the decline occurred mostly among women under 20 years of age.
A total of 96,815 induced abortions were performed on Canadian women in 2005, down 3.2% from 100,039 in 2004. As a result, the induced abortion rate edged down from 14.6 abortions for every 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 in 2004, to 14.1 in 2005.
Induced abortion rates fell in every age group, except among women aged 35 to 39, where it remained the same. Teenage women, under the age of 20, experienced the largest decline in rates, from 13.8 for every 1,000 women in 2004, to 13.0 in 2005. The induced abortion rate for these women has declined gradually since 1996 when it peaked at 18.9.
The crude birth rate for teenaged women has also continued to decline. In 1996, there were 18.6 live births for every 1,000 women under 20. By 2005, this had dropped to 11.1.
The number of induced abortions for every 100 live births fell to 28.3 in 2005 from 29.7 in 2004.
Induced abortions continue to be most common among women in their early 20s. They accounted for 31% of all women who obtained an induced abortion in 2005. On average, 28 women out of every 1,000, aged 20 to 24, obtained an induced abortion.
Note: Data for 2005 cover induced abortions performed in hospitals and clinics in provinces and territories, except those performed in Manitoba clinics, which have been unavailable since 2004. As of 2004, induced abortions obtained by Canadian women in some American states are no longer collected. Users should be aware of certain limitations with the Therapeutic Abortion Survey. There are recognized issues concerning coverage, increased submission of aggregate counts instead of detailed records, and an increased reliance on age estimates.
Available on CANSIM: tables 106-9005, 106-9013 and 106-9034.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 3209.
Selected tables for the years 2000 to 2005 are now available from the Summary tables module of our website.
Historical statistics dating back to 1970 are available in the publication Induced Abortion Statistics (82-223-XWE, free), from the Publications module of our website.
For information on long-term trends in induced abortions, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Client Services (613-951-1746; hd-ds@statcan.gc.ca), Health Statistics Division.
Induced abortion data for 2005 were collected by the Canadian Institute for Health Information. For more information on the Therapeutic Abortion Database, contact Media Relations (613-241-7860, ext. 4004), Canadian Institute for Health Information.
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