A new study has found that abortion rates are no higher in EU countries that allow abortion on request than in those with greater restrictions.
In BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology today (November 30) Dr Mika Gissler of the THL National Institute for Health and Welfare, Finland, and colleagues report on their findings.
They explain that the 27 EU member states have different traditions, attitudes and legislation related to termination of pregnancy.
Overall rates are falling, with a total 10.3 terminations per 1,000 women aged 15 to 49 years in 2008. Southern Europe has lower rates than Central, Eastern and Northern Europe. Estonia, Romania, and Bulgaria have the highest rates, and Northern Europe has the highest rate of teenagers seeking termination.
Dr Gissler and his team say that many terminations in Northern European countries are among young women who want to postpone childbearing, whereas terminations in the Central and Eastern European countries are more likely to be carried out after the family has been completed.
Countries with unrestricted access to early abortion do not report higher rates than countries that required a medical reason for termination. But there is a lack of detail on women from countries such as Ireland who need to travel to another country for a termination.
Dr Gissler said: "There are large variations across the EU and it is interesting to see that restricting women’s access to termination doesn’t mean the rates of termination are lower."
The high rates of teenage termination in Northern European countries could be reduced by improved access to youth-friendly reproductive and sexual health services, better sexual education in schools, and free or heavily subsidised contraceptives, he believes.
Terminations of pregnancy in the European Union. Gissler, M. et al. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology November 30 2011 DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2011.03189.x
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