An 18-year-old woman died Thursday during a therapeutic abortion at the Civic Hospital performed when she was 17 weeks pregnancy.

The initial autopsy did not reveal the case of death. Robert MacMillan, regional coroner for eastern Ontario, told The Citizen.

Most surgeons don't perform abortions after the 12th week of pregnancy, he said.

"Surgeons almost always confine their operations to the 12-week period."

A coroner's inquest is being considered.

Civic Hospital officials, while confirming the incident, refused to comment.

"All I can tell you is we are conducting our own investigation to get our own assessment and will be reporting it in due course," hospital president Peter Carruthers said.

He said only medical staff would be able to detail the risks involved in such an abortion, or why it was performed.

But the Civic's medical director Finlay McKerracher refused to answer any questions.

"I have no information to give you at this time."

MacMillan said the coroner's office was "still investigating the circumstances surrounding the death, especially since it was such a late operation."

Death during a therapeutic abortion is extremely rare, said MacMillan.

"This is the first case I've seen since I've been regional coroner," said MacMillan, who has held the post since 1982.

The woman's family refused to comment.

To legally obtain an abortion in Canada, a hospital's therapeutic abortion committee has to approve the operation.

The head of obstetrics and gynecology, Harry Oxorn, said he heard about the death but couldn't comment until he saw the report.

In 1982 in Ottawa-Carleton there were 492 legal abortions among women aged 15 to 19.

The total number of legal abortions in the region that year was 1,917.