The Daily on March 31, 2004 announced the newly released abortion statistics for the year 2001. This announcement, featured on the Statistics Canada website, reported that a record 106,418 abortions had been performed on Canadian women in the year 2001. In 1987, just prior to the Supreme Court striking down the law on abortion, Statistics Canada reported a total of 70,023 abortions for the year. The fact that Canada has absolutely no law on abortion since January 28, 1988 has clearly had an impact on the escalating number of abortions performed each year.

The Daily also reported a 1% rise in the number of repeat abortions – 36.8% in 2001. The number of repeat abortions has increased from 20% in 1985. Statistics Canada reports that 26,242 women (24.7%) had a second abortion and 12,855 women (12.1%) had three or more abortions in 2001. This is a conservative estimate based on the limited information provided. The only province to report detailed records for the 5,325 clinic abortions performed in that province, Alberta, reported that 38.8% of the women who had clinic abortions had one or more previous abortions. It seems that clinics have a higher incidence of repeat abortions but since only one province provides detailed records it is not possible to confirm this observation.

The province of Ontario reports the highest number of abortions for 2001 with 38,831. Quebec’s numbers are the second highest at 31,038 and British Columbia is third with 15,820. British Columbia reported a significant increase in 2001 — 15,820 abortions compared to 14,070 in 2000. The reason is that a facility which had never reported abortion statistics in the past, chose to submit data for the first time. Prince Edward Island, the only province which does not perform abortions, reported that 174 PEI women had abortions in other provinces.

The majority of abortions still occur in hospitals (61,227 in 2001) but clinics are performing a greater portion every year (45,016 clinic abortions in 2001). This compares to 63,535 hospital abortions and 41,919 clinic abortions in 2000. This is a disturbing trend because only Alberta provides detailed information for the 5,325 clinic abortions performed in that province. Detailed information is not available for clinic abortions performed in any province or territory other than Alberta.

The release announces that “Induced abortions continue to be the most common among women in their 20’s…” The overall ratio of abortion to 100 live births is reported as 31.9. A closer look shows an extremely disturbing statistic among 20 to 24 year old women. The ratio of abortion to live birth is 56.2 for every 100 live births – almost twice the national ratio! This group also has abortions at twice the rate of the national average per 1,000 women – 31.7 compared to 15.6 for all ages. Shockingly, these women appear to have embraced induced abortion as a means of birth control in order to live lives out of control.

Is abortion safe for women?

Tragically, two women died as a result of an induced abortion in 2001 – again an increase over 1999 and 2000 when one death from abortion was reported. More than 1% of women experienced some form of immediate complication from an abortion including hemorrhage, infection, or pelvic damage. One percent of 106,418 abortions represents 1064 women. These are only the immediate complications – who knows how many women develop complications 24 hours after the abortion or when they leave the facility? This information is not available. If a woman presents herself to a hospital with complications resulting from an abortion, the attending physician will report the complication as the reason for her visit and is not required to link the problem to her earlier abortion.

Even Statistics Canada recognizes that there are problems associated with the collection of abortion data. A Statistics Canada official recently told us that due to reporting problems, the number of abortions actually performed on Canadian women is approximately 10% higher. It seems that the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), the agency responsible for gathering the abortion data for Statistics Canada, does not collect information on abortions performed in a doctor’s office, in prisons or in military hospitals, or for some medical (pharmaceutical) abortions. Also, abortions are not recorded for Ontario residents who choose to pay for the procedure themselves or non-residents of Ontario who are aborted in that province.

Since we have very little demographic information for the 106,418 abortions, it is difficult to provide an accurate profiling of the Canadian women who had abortions in 2001. The database contains detailed records for only 43,731 of the 61,227 hospital abortions and 5,325 of the 45,016 clinic abortions. This means that we have demographic information for less than half of the abortions (46.1%) reported in 2001! For more than half of the abortions performed on Canadian women, we have no information concerning the age of the woman, the gestational age of the child at the time of the abortion, previous deliveries, previous abortions, the method of abortion used, and whether there were any immediate complications. In 1988, when the abortion law was struck down, the hospitals reported a total of 66,137 abortions and detailed records were missing for only 8% of them (5,484 abortions).

From the incomplete data we learn that:

•A total of 408 girls under 15 years of age had abortions in 2001.
•Hospital figures indicate that 8,309 girls aged 10 to 19 years of age had abortions and 1,161 girls in this age group were aborted in clinics.
•50.7% of women (53,865) who underwent an abortion in Canada had no other children.
•24.7 % of the women (26,242) had undergone one previous abortion.
•12.1% of the women (12,855) had undergone two or more previous abortions.
•The majority of unborn babies (88.6%) were aborted in the first 12 weeks gestation.
•Most babies (94.6%) are aborted using the suction D & C method. In this method the mother’s cervix is dilated either by using instruments to force it open or with laminara, a substance like seaweed which absorbs moisture and more gently forces the cervix open. Then an instrument with a knife tipped edge attached to a hollow tube, which is attached to a suction machine, is used. The baby is then scraped from the sides and sucked down the hollow tube by the suction machine.
•3.3% of the babies (1,619) were aborted after 16 weeks gestation.
•246 babies between 21 and 40 weeks gestation were aborted. Twenty weeks is considered age of viability, when the baby can survive outside the mother. This statistic is not automatically released to the general public. LifeCanada had to specifically request this information.

As of 2001, information on marital status is greatly reduced. According to The Daily, “The Discharge Abstract Database, the major source for hospital abortion data, no longer collects marital status.” Also, there is no data for the 175 abortions performed on Canadian women in the US.

Do we need comprehensive abortion statistics?

Most definitely, since this information provides us with the necessary framework to measure the impact of induced abortion on women’s health. Without comprehensive statistics we cannot measure the impact abortion has on infertility, post abortion trauma, long-term psychological and/or physical complications, and the established link between induced abortion and breast cancer. It appears that abortion may also have a serious impact on a woman’s subsequent pregnancies. Recent studies have shown that women who have abortions have an increased risk of delivering a premature infant. Children born prematurely have an enormously increased risk of developing cerebral palsy. These are significant risks which should not be ignored. How can we definitively establish these risks in order to warn women if we do not keep accurate records?

Since we have no detailed records for clinic abortions (except in Alberta) how can we say these abortions are safe? Clinics should be obliged to report any complications arising from abortions performed in their facilities.

Since abortion is one of the most frequently performed surgeries in Canada, we need comprehensive statistics to help us examine why so many women are not able to carry their pregnancies to term. Statistics Canada does not report the reason why women choose to have an abortion. Without this knowledge how can we help women in crisis pregnancies?

Statistics Canada should also provide information on the educational and financial background of the women who have abortions to help us understand the impact of abortion on society. An article by Thomas Strahan published in the Association for Inter-Disciplinary Research in Values and Social Change newsletter in 1991 concluded that, “The repeated utilization of abortion appears to lead not to economic prosperity or social well-being, but to an increasing feminization of poverty.”

As taxpayers, we are forced to pay the cost of abortions even though the majority of Canadians do not want their tax dollars used in this way. An October, 2003 Omnican poll by Leger Marketing, reported that 68% of Canadians said abortion should either be privately funded or only funded “in medical emergencies such as a threat to the mother’s life or in the case of rape or incest.” Since we have to pay for this procedure to the tune of about $80 million dollars per year, we have every right to know what we are paying for.

Finally, as educational, pro-life organizations, we need comprehensive statistics to assist us in responding to enquiries, in writing articles, and in making presentations on abortion. A local pro-life organization which has maintained a website for a number of years, consistently reports that the abortion statistics page is the most sought after information on their website.

If you would like to ensure that CIHI and Statistics Canada provide us with more comprehensive abortion statistics, please consider writing to the Minister responsible for Statistics, the Chief Statistician, and the President of CIHI (see contact information below).

Carroll Rees is executive director of LifeCanada.