Statistics Canada reports 100,039 Abortions in 2004
By Gudrun Schultz

Canadian abortion statistics for 2004 were released by Statistics Canada on July 13, 2007. The Therapeutic Abortion Survey reports that 100,039 unborn babies were killed by abortion in 2004, a number that accounts for about 90% of all abortions in the country for that year. There was no information available on abortions performed in clinics in the province of Manitoba for 2004. As a result, the 2004 statistics have been compared to an adjusted rate for 2003 abortions that excludes 2003 reports from Manitoba on clinic abortions.

Detailed reports were submitted for only 43% of abortions. While hospitals provided detailed abortion information (with the exception of the province of Quebec), abortion clinics provided only aggregate counts of total abortions performed, with the exception of the province of Alberta. Aggregate counts of abortions are acknowledged to be largely useless for understanding the demographics of abortion, since details including age of the woman, gestational age of the child, type of procedure used, resulting complications, the number of previous abortions or live births are all missing from the data. As a result of increasing problems with Canadian abortion data, all analysis of the statistics must be considered estimations.

Current figures show that Canada aborts 29.7 babies for every 100 live births. The national abortion rate dropped 2.9% from 2003 rates, with 14.6 abortions for every 1,000 women in 2004, compared to 15.1 abortions for every 1,000 women in 2003. Although minor overall, the decline in abortions was almost three times greater than the drop in both 2003 and 2002 of just one percent. Abortion rates fell slightly in every age group except among women aged 40 and older. Women in their 20s accounted for most of the decline, with the number of abortions for every 1000 women aged 20-29 dropping from 25.8 in 2003 to 24.7 in 2004.

Women in their 20s were the group most likely to have an abortion, accounting for 53% of the total. The number is unchanged from 2003. In total, 53,129 abortions were performed on women in their 20s in 2004, based on available data.

Women age 30-39 accounted for 16.1% of abortions, or 16,115 abortions. The remaining 4,368 abortions were obtained by women age 40 and older.

Teenage girls accounted for 17,242 abortions in 2004, or 17.23%. That figure includes three hundred and four girls under the age of 15 who obtained abortions in 2004.

The rate of abortions per 100 live births for 2004 shows Quebec remained well in the lead with 41.3 abortions for every 100 babies born in the province. Northwest Territories had the second highest rate with 37.4, followed by British Columbia with 34.9 abortions per 100 babies born. In the province of Alberta the rate was 27.2, in Ontario 26.5 and in Nova Scotia 21.8. Newfoundland and Labrador aborted 20.1 per 100, Saskatchewan 15.8 and New Brunswick 13.2. Prince Edward Island, the only province or territory that does not perform abortions, had the lowest rate of 10.3 abortions per 100 babies born. Manitoba showed a rate of 19.3 but the data does not include abortion clinics. Yukon Territory and Nunavut rates were not provided.

Northwest Territories had the highest abortion rate per 1000 women, with 24.8 abortions. Quebec followed with 19.6 abortions per 1,000 women—both rates were similar to 2003.

British Columbia’s abortion rate dropped by nearly 9% under 2003 rates, from 17.2 abortions per 1,000 women to 15.7. While Manitoba also showed a reduction of 9.5% under 2003, the results from Manitoba clinics were not included—it is possible that a reduction in hospital abortions may have been accompanied by an increase in clinic abortions.

53,670 abortions were performed in hospitals in 2004 on Canadian women, a decrease of 2,419 from 2003 rates. Clinic abortions dropped 1,161 from the 2003 rates. Of the 46,369 abortions recorded in abortion clinics in 2004, only 13% were reported with detailed records, all from the province of Alberta.

While it is impossible to draw definitive conclusions from the data that is available, some points do stand out. The reported rate for complications following an abortion procedure in 2004 was 1.4%, or 1,400 women who experienced complications after having an abortion. That number represents only the reports from hospitals and from Alberta clinics. As well, the number only accounts for women who experienced complications during or immediately following their abortion, before they were discharged. Women who experienced complications after leaving the facility where they had the abortion would not be reported as suffering from abortion complications.

Of abortions performed between 17-20 weeks gestation, 8.8% led to complications, compared to 1.4% of complications reported for abortions performed between 9-12 weeks. The complication rate for abortions performed over 20 weeks gestation rose to 10.5%.

Statistics Canada no longer collects information on the number of Canadian women obtaining abortions in the US—abortions that have been paid for at least in part by Canadian taxpayers. This information is important for informing the public on the frequency of late-term abortions, since the majority of abortions performed in the US on Canadian women are done in late pregnancy. In 2003, records were submitted by US abortion clinics for 149 Canadian women.

Statistics in the Therapeutic Abortion Survey are compiled by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), with final approval by Statistics Canada.

Gudrun Schultz is the executive director of LifeCanada.