Induced abortions in Denmark.

Abstract

Background: A law on Induced Abortion on Request came into force in Denmark in 1973. During the first years the rate of abortion increased but since the early 1980s the rate has been rather constant. The paper reviews recent findings concerning induced abortion and discusses its role in controlling fertility.

Methods: Trends in induced abortion is described from routine statistics while information on the aborting women are taken both from a survey and from a register based study of fertility- and abortion-pattern among a cohort of women.

Results: Fertility trends in Denmark are characterized by an increasing age at first birth. Half of the aborters to day have no children before and 10% had given birth less than 18 months earlier. Among aborters a higher proportion than among parturients were still under education and a higher proportion were single with no steady partner. Half of the aborters became pregnant in spite of contraceptive use, indicating a need for better contraceptives.

Conclusions: Induced abortion has become a generally accepted form of birth control in Denmark and the decision to terminate a pregnancy is influenced by many factors including the woman's conjugal--and educational situation. A strategy for prevention of induced abortion must take into consideration the social circumstances of women and for families with children.