OTTAWA - Canadian women obtained fewer abortions in 2005 compared with the previous year, and the decline occurred mostly among women under 20 years of age.
Statistics Canada reports a total of 96,815 abortions were performed on Canadian women in 2005, down 3.2 per cent from 100,039 in 2004.
As a result, the induced abortion rate slipped to 14.1 for every 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 in 2005 from 14.6 in 2004.
The agency reports abortion rates fell in every age group except among women aged 35 to 39, where it remained the same.
The largest decline in rates occurred among teenagers, to 13 for every 1,000 in 2005 from 13.8 in 2004.
The induced abortion rate for women under 20 has declined gradually since 1996 when it peaked at 18.9.
There were 18.6 live births for every 1,000 women under 20 in 1996. By 2005, this had dropped to 11.1.
The number of induced abortions for every 100 live births fell to 28.3 in 2005 from 29.7 in 2004.
Induced abortions continue to be most common among women in their early 20s. They accounted for 31 per cent of all women who obtained abortions in 2005. On average, 28 women out of every 1,000, aged 20 to 24, obtained an induced abortion.
The data for 2005 cover induced abortions performed in hospitals and clinics in provinces and territories, except Manitoba clinics, which have been unavailable since 2004.
Abortions obtained by Canadian women in some U.S. states have not been collected since 2004.
