20810_not-searchable
/en/helse/statistikker/abort/aar
20810
Decrease in abortions
statistikk
2002-04-19T10:00:00.000Z
Health
en
abort, Abortions (discontinued)Health conditions and living habits, Health
false

Abortions (discontinued), 2001

Variants of the statistics:

Medical Birth Registry at Norwegian Institute of Public Health (http://www.fhi.no/helseregistre/medisinsk-fodselsregister) will from 2007 publish this statistics.

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Decrease in abortions

In 2001, 13 867 abortions were performed in Norway, a reduction of 788 from the previous year. This number is the lowest experienced since the mid 1990s. The largest decrease in induced abortions was observed in Oslo. All the three counties in Northern Norway had a higher abortion rate among teenagers than Oslo in 2001.

Abortions per 1000 women, by age

The county of Finnmark had the highest abortion rate in 2001, given by induced abortions per 1000 women 15-49 years. Earlier this rate was highest in Oslo, but Oslo was passed by Finnmark in 2000.

The counties in Southern and Western Norway still experienced the lowest abortion rates. The level in these regions is about half of the level in Finnmark and Oslo.

In 2001, 15 333 petitions were made for abortions. In 13 867 of these petitions the outcome was an induced abortion. In total, 14 691 of the petitions came within the first 12 weeks of the pregnancy, which is the period of self-determination for the woman. From the 642 petitions handled in an abortion committee, 511 were granted and resulted in 496 induced abortions. 78 of the petitions were rejected. About a half of the petitions for abortion granted by a committee had social reasons. About 30 per cent was made due to serious risk for the health of the foetus.

Teenage abortions down

After an increase in teenagers' abortions in 2000, the level declined in 2001 to the same level as observed in the late 1990s. In 2001, for the first time the abortion rate for teenagers was higher in all the three counties in the region of North Norway than in Oslo.

Tables: