Fewer Dutch teenagers have abortions, downward trend continues

Pregnancy testThe number of teenage girls undergoing abortions in the Netherlands fell 13% to 3,181 last year, following a 10% decline in 2013, health ministry inspectors said on Thursday.

The IGZ report does not explain the figures and it is unclear if fewer teenage girls are getting pregnant or more are opting to keep their child. However, figures from the national statistics office CBS show fewer young women are becoming mothers, which would indicate fewer teens are getting pregnant, news agency ANP says.

There were over 30,300 abortions in the Netherlands last year, down slightly on 2013. One in eight women came from abroad for the operation and over half took place in the first seven weeks of pregnancy.

The Netherlands has one of the lowest abortion rates in the world, at 8.5 per 1,000 women.

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