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The relationship between induced abortion and family formation.

This article examines the relationship between induced abortion and family formation. It argues that the exis-tence of the possibility of induced abortion has contribut-ed to making family formation an issue of choice. The article examines the development of induced abortion in Denmark and makes certain comparisons with other European countries. The Danish legislation on induced abortion (within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy) was based on medical social and feminist arguments. Abortion was viewed as an alternative to other forms of prevention. In the 1990's the arguments have changed; now induced abortion is to be considered the final resort after other forms of prevention failed. And too from previously viewing induced abortion in terms of women's health or family wel-fare, the arguments now argue that abortion is a (potential) killing of a child and therefore should be avoid-ed. Since the Danish law went into effect in 1975, both the abortion rate and the absolute number of induced abor-tions has fallen. Danish statistics indicate that abortion and fertility development are not complementary, both fell until 1983, and since then the abortion rate has remained stable while the fertility rate has increased. European figures indicate that countries with a high age at birth of the first child, have a low rate of induced abortion, and that it is not just access to induced abortion that makes a low fertility level possible. Late family formation is not related to a high rate of abortion.

In Denmark the number of births and induced abortions among teenagers has reduced and teenage parenthood is now rare. This paper evaluates the correlation between this observed fertility and reported sexual and contraceptive behaviour. In 1989 a sample of 16–20-year-olds in Denmark was selected at random and personally interviewed about sexual and contraceptive behaviour. Ninety-five per cent of the young women who had experienced sexual intercourse used contraception at the most recent sexual intercourse. In order to support the validity of this finding a model was developed to estimate an expected number of conceptions in the age groups concerned. The model included both the information on coital frequency and use of contraception from the questionnaire and available efficacy rates on contraception. The estimates derived by the model were compared with the registered number of births and induced abortions derived from public registers. The analysis revealed a high accordance between the estimated number of conceptions and the registered number of births and induced abortions for each age group. This underlines the validity of the data on sexual and contraceptive behaviour sampled among teenagers in Denmark. The findings indicate that contraceptive failure is a much greater problem than non-use of contraception for teenagers in Denmark.

Teenage parenthood is recognised as a significant disadvantage in western industrialised nations. It has been found to increase the likelihood of poverty and to reinforce inequalities. This book explores, for the first time, the links between welfare state provision and teenage reproductive behaviour across a range of countries with differing welfare regimes. Drawing on both welfare state and feminist literature, as well as on new empirical evidence, the book compares public policy responses to teenage parenthood in each 'family' of welfare regime: Nordic, Liberal and Continental (Western European); analyses the different socio-political contexts in which teenage pregnancy is constructed as a social problem and identifies best practice in Europe and the USA. Countries included in the study are the UK, USA, New Zealand, France, Italy, Poland, Denmark, Norway, the Canadian province of Quebec and Russia. The contributors are all internationally recognised experts in the fields of welfare and/or gender studies. When children become parents is important reading for a wide audience of students, policy makers, practitioners and academics in sociology, social policy, social geography, education, psychology, and youth and gender studies