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Abortion figures

Reliable abortion data is hard to come by. This is because NSW, Vic and QLD don’t keep statistics on abortion, and only SA publishes figures on abortion.

Abortion data is therefore estimated from SA, WA and NT figures, and from Medicare rebates paid to private clients.[1]

Based on the available data, is estimated 70-80,000 abortions occur annually. This means that one-in-four pregnancies end in abortion and a third to a quarter of women will have an abortion.[2]

Reduction in rate of abortion

There is evidence of a reduction in the abortion rate in recent years.[3] In South Australia there was a peak of 17.9 abortions per 1000 women in 1999. The rate of abortions in SA has since has declined, with the most recent data being a rate of 13.5.[4]

Commentators regularly attribute the decline in abortions to factors such as “increased availability of the morning-after pill, better education about contraceptives, and declining birth rates overall.”[5] However, other statistics show that 60% of women who sought abortions were in fact using at least one form of contraception at the time they became pregnant.[6]

Typical profile of women seeking abortion

The typical women seeking abortion is 20-29, single, childless, well-educated and employed.[7] Over a third of women having terminations in SA have had previous abortions.[8]

Method of abortion

According to a 2015 report, 92% of terminations in SA occurred in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. The method most used was vacuum aspiration/dilation and curettage. Another common form of abortion which can be performed at home (mifepristone+/-misopostol) had a concerning level of complications (6.9%).[9]

Abortion and mental health

One comprehensive study of 400 international studies into the psychological risks associated with abortion concluded that up to 20% of women who had an abortion suffered from serious, prolonged, negative consequences.[10]

Abortion and fathers

Nowhere in Australia is there a requirement that a woman’s sexual partner be notified of a proposed abortion or to consent to the procedure.

Abortion law

Australian states have some of the most liberal abortion laws in the world, with Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT and QLD allowing abortion up to 40 weeks.[11]

Further information

For further information visit: http://notbornyet.com/real-information/