Number of abortions down by about half in nearly a decade

Plunge in teenage abortions and greater use of birth control by women among key reasons

Contributing to the overall year-on-year drop in the abortion count since 2010 was a plunge in teenage abortions. PHOTO: ST FILE
New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

Close to 70 per cent of these married women cited "having enough children", "cannot afford another child", "too close to last pregnancy" and "not ready to start a family" as the main reasons for having an abortion, an MOH spokesman told The Sunday Times.

Being financially strapped is one major reason why some women choose to end their pregnancy, counsellors said.

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on March 08, 2020, with the headline Number of abortions down by about half in nearly a decade. Subscribe