New estimates of induced abortion in Russia

This article describes findings from a new source of data for estimating the incidence of induced abortion in the Russian Federation, the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS). According to RLMS data, the abortion rate in 1994 was 56 per 1,000 women aged 15-44, with a 95 percent confidence interval of plus or minus 12 per 1,000, an estimate that varies from that advanced by official sources and other studies. The sensitivity of this estimate to survey design, underreporting of abortion, and potential confusion about miniabortions is considered. Consistency of abortion estimates with patterns of contraceptive use is also evaluated. A significant advantage of RLMS data is the ability to estimate abortion rates specific to respondent characteristics. The article presents findings concerning socioeconomic differences.