Objectives: Women aged 40-44 years in 2005 ought to have been subjected to much more influence on attitudes\r\nand knowledge on contraceptive methods during their fertile period than women who were in the same age span\r\nin 1975 when the abortion laws were introduced.\r\nMaterial: From official statistics, the rates of induced abortion and birth rates in women aged 40-44 years were\r\ncollected for Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland for each five-year during the period 1975-2005.\r\nResults: With the exception of Sweden all other studied Scandinavian countries have lowered their abortion rates\r\nsince 1975 (p < 0.001) and reduced the proportion of induced abortions in relation to birth rate (p < 0.001). In 2005\r\nthese countries also had lower rates of induced abortion than Sweden in the age group 40-44 years (p < 0.001).\r\nConclusion: There is a significant change in rates of induced abortion in women aged 40-44 years in Finland,\r\nNorway, Denmark, and at status quo in Sweden. 40-44 years in Finland, Norway, Denmark, and at status quo in\r\nSweden. This indicates that family planning programs works well in the Nordic countries. The differences found\r\nmay be assumed to possible diverging focus on attitudes or ethical considerations.
Loading....