Only slight decrease in abortions in Finland last year
Terminations of pregnancy most common among women aged 20 to 24
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The number of abortions performed on women in Finland appears to have stabilised at about 10,000 a year. Last year there were 10,785 terminations of pregnancy, which is about 300 fewer than in the previous year, which set a new record.
After the summer, the number appeared to be decreasing even more sharply, but in the autumn, there was a new surge.
The figures are from preliminary statistics by the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health (STAKES).
The greatest number of abortions were performed on women aged 20 to 24. The total number declined in that age group only slightly last year. Long term statistics also show that the age group has the highest frequency of terminations.
STAKES official Mika Gissler says that there will be closer study of the age group.
Researchers want to know if the women in question have had abortions already in their teens. If this is the case, there are concerns that their future reproductive health could be in jeopardy.
"The generation affected by the recession [of the early 1990s] did not get sufficient sex education at school, and school health services were reduced, which means that the foundation remained inadequate."
Other negative trends, such an increase in the sexually-transmitted disease Chlamydia, would seem to affect women in their early 20s more than others.
There was a decline in the number of abortions among those aged 15 to 19. The trend has gone down, or remained the same since 2000.
Reasons behind the trend include improved services, as well as better sex education.
"When things were put into better shape around Finland, it was reflected fairly quickly in statistics as well", Gissler says.
Proportionally, the greatest number of abortions took place in Helsinki and Uusimaa.
There were more abortions in the Helsinki region than in rural areas, or in Ostrobothnia - sometimes called the Finnish "Bible belt".
Nearly 90 percent of the abortions took place for "social reasons".
Last year a high rate of abortions for young women was a cause for concern in South Karelia. For instance, among girls aged 15 to 19, the rate was 14.9 per thousand. Now the figure has gone down to 10.5 per thousand, and there was also a decline among older age groups as well.
Tytti Summanen, a nurse at the Students’ Health Care Unit in Lappeenranta says that many matters have improved over the past year.
The unit, which has operated on an experimental basis for two and a half years, has been established as a service provided by the City of Lappeenranta. Now it is accessible to all pupils and students of upper secondary school and Lappeenranta’s other educational institutions - that is, all those aged 16 to 25.
School health nurses make a concerted effort to really discuss matters with young people. The nurses offer a starter pack of birth control pills, and Summanen herself has undergone training as a sex counsellor.
The high rate of abortions was long attributed largely to hard partying and alcohol consumption.
Summanen now senses that boys may be drinking less, and that total abstinence from alcohol has become fashionable again.
Summanen also says that there has not been an increase in the use of morning-after contraceptive pills.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 4.4.2006 - TODAY |
 Only slight decrease in abortions in Finland last year
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