New Zealand is one of the few developed countries to experience a big increase in abortions in the 1990s, and the demand is likely to continue, says a report in the Medical Journal.
This is because most New Zealanders in their twenties are sexually active but do not want a pregnancy
to occur.
And in a large number of those unwanted pregnancies, participants simply "did not think about" contraception at the time, says a study by the Otago Medical School's department of preventive and social medicine.
During the 1990s, the annual abortion rate increased from 14 per 1000 women aged between 15 and 44 to 19 per 1000, the report says.
The rate is most marked among women aged 20-24.
In this age group in 2000, there was more than one abortion for every 30 women, and 45 abortions for every 100 births.
The Dunedin study surveyed 477 women and 489 men, all 26-year-olds.
It found that 36 per cent of the women had experienced 289 pregnancies between them, before they were 25.
Sixty per cent of those were unwanted.
Of the men, just under 30 per cent had caused 225 pregnancies before they were 25, with 73 per cent of these unwanted.
The commonest reason for unwanted pregnancies was contraception not being used, and the commonest reason for that was "not thinking about it".
A quarter of the women and a fifth of the men said they were "a bit drunk" during sex.
In 11 per cent of unwanted pregnancies where no contraception was used, the women reported partners did not want to use a condom.
The report calls for more promotion of contraception.
- NZPA
