[Voluntary abortions in 1979-1989--what does their number indicate?]

The number of women aged 15-44 years increased by 110,000 in Norway from 1979 to 1989, while the number of abortions increased by less than 1,900. Adjusting for these demographic changes, the general rate of induced abortion among married women decreased by 17% from 1979 to 1989, while there was no change in the rate of induced abortion among unmarried women. The magnitude of the rate of induced abortion among married women correlates with the accepted rate of failure for copper IUDs, while the magnitude of the rate of induced abortion for unmarried women is lower than the rate of failure for condoms. Among married women the rate of induced abortion in the age groups over 30 years of age has declined throughout the study period. In the other age groups of married women the abortion rate has been relatively constant after 1979. After introduction of self-determined abortion in 1979, the rate of induced abortion for unmarried women under 25 years of age has increased, while only minimal changes have occurred in the rate for older unmarried women. When adjusted for age and marital status, there have been no major changes in the general rate of induced abortion in Norway after introduction of self-determined termination of pregnancy in 1979.