Induced abortion trends in South Australia, 1970-84

Following legislative amendments extending the grounds for abortion in South Australia the abortion rate rose from 6.0/1000 in 1970, to 9.9/1000 in 1971, to 13.2/1000 in 1984. However, rates differ widely by marital status among young women, the age pattern varies markedly for different marital status groups, and trends over time differ for different age/marital status groups. Collection of detailed age and marital status data on every live birth and abortion is recommended in order to provide the most informative analysis of abortion trends.