The rate of pregnancy among Canadian teenagers aged 15 to 19 has declined by about 20% since 1974, and a Statistics Canada report suggests this may be due to the availability of condoms and increased awareness of health risks associated with unprotected sex.
However, the proportion of live births resulting from these pregnancies has decreased relative to the proportion of teenagers receiving abortions. Abortions among teenagers aged 15 to 19 had increased from 14 per 1000 teenage women in 1974 to 22 per 1000 by 1997. For ages 18–19 only, the numbers increased from 17 to 33 per 1000 women during the same period.
Abortion accounted for slightly more than half (50.3%) of pregnancy outcomes among Canadian teenagers in 1997, but as with the pregnancy rate there are strong regional differences.
For instance, in New Brunswick only 22% of teenage pregnancies were terminated by abortion, compared with 58% in Ontario. Of the teenagers who obtained abortions in a hospital, 18% had at least one previous abortion. That proportion is higher (24%) at clinics that provide abortions.
For those who choose to give birth, Statistics Canada data show that both mother and child are disadvantaged from a health and an economic perspective. Teen mothers are more likely to suffer higher rates of anemia, hypertension, renal disease, eclampsia and depressive disorders, and their babies are more likely to have a low birth weight. —
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