Abortion numbers are increasing for the first time since 2008, but there are still historically few abortions in Norway, according to the Abortion Register. Altogether there were almost 12,000 abortions last year, and that is 10 per cent more than in 2021. – But the numbers have not increased more than they were as they were before the pandemic. We have no basis to say that there is a new trend now. It’s probably more that our social life is more back to normal, says senior doctor Mette Løkeland-Stai in the Abortion Register. Professor Finn Egil Skjeldestad sits in Sogndal. He has researched abortion for over 40 years and has followed developments closely. – If we are to have more births, we have to accept higher abortion rates, says Professor Finn Egil Skjeldestad. Between 2009 and last year, the number of abortions among women between 20 and 24 has almost halved. Skjeldestad thinks it is good that fewer women have to have an abortion, and thinks it shows that Norwegians have become good at using contraception. But the development also has a downside, according to him. Finn Egil Skjeldestad is professor of community medicine at the University of Tromsø. Photo: Sondre Dalaker / news – What is worrying is that the birth rate has fallen even more in the same age groups, says the professor. In the last ten years alone, we have had 10,000 fewer children born a year. And yesterday the statistics came which showed that there were a record few newborns in Norway last year. Dilemma Skjeldestad says his main point is that couples who want to have children in the long term should consider dropping contraception and having children a little earlier. He explains that today there are very few people who become pregnant without having planned it well. – Very few unplanned pregnancies occur, because contraceptive use is so good. Hormonal IUDs and IUDs last three to eight years, depending on the type you choose. Photo: Sverre Lilleeng / news In addition, around 2008, the authorities recommended that women use long-acting contraceptives. They are placed inside the body, the risk of user error is practically gone. The trend for life to be planned and even better contraceptive use shows up both in the abortion and birth statistics. Skjeldestad says an important explanation for the fact that there are fewer births and fewer abortions at the same time is that very few people become pregnant by chance. As a result, there are also fewer people who have to find out whether they should continue or terminate a pregnancy. According to the researcher, most people who are cohabiting or married will have the child instead of having an abortion, if they become pregnant by chance and have to choose. – Because too few unplanned pregnancies occur, we do not have a higher birth rate than we have today. The professor believes that we must accept more abortions, if the goal is to have more children in Norway. Løkeland-Stai in the Abortion Register agrees. – Only one in three unplanned pregnancies is unwanted. So if we prevent all unplanned pregnancies, we will also have fewer births. Planning for childlessness – This is the number of pregnancies the contraceptive has prevented, to a small extent abortions. That’s what Anne Eskild, senior physician at the Women’s Clinic at Akershus University Hospital, says. She believes that birth control pills, contraceptive sticks and hormonal coils have contributed to fewer births. – There are dramatic changes. In Finnmark, the number of births has almost halved since the mid-1990s. Photo: Dang Thrin / news Eskild explains that it is not so strange that there are fewer births when many people plan to have children after they are 30. – When you want children when you are 35, perhaps some will find that it is not is so easy to get pregnant. Then the race is over, says Eskild. – The problem is that women don’t get pregnant when they want to. There are more test-tube experiments than there are abortions. Women may not have as many children as they would have liked, she continues. Uncertainty Andrea Skaarer Kreutz in the Amathea foundation helps women who have become pregnant and are considering an abortion. She says many of those who come to them need help to sort their thoughts and land on their choice. – The vast majority say they never thought they would end up in that situation and we often hear: “I thought I knew what I wanted to choose, but now I’m unsure.” She agrees with Skjeldestad that although not all pregnancies are planned, that does not mean that they are necessarily unwanted. – So it’s not black and white. Andrea Skaarer Kreutz is director of the Amathea foundation. Photo: Privat At the same time, she says that there is too little research into what it actually costs the individual woman to undergo an abortion. – For some of those we help, it is quite a strain. They return to work more quickly if they get help.
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– If we are going to have more births, we have to accept higher abortion rates – news Trøndelag
