Abortion Statistics

Unlike other provinces, British Columbia abortion statistics are difficult to obtain.

A Vancouver Sun article dated March 29, 2005, dealing with the possible effectiveness of the Morning After Pill in reducing BC's abortion rate, found:

"...according to B.C. Vital Statistics, there were almost 13,700 abortions performed in B.C. in 2001. Information provided to The Vancouver Sun by Statistics Canada, however, shows there were 15,098 abortions in B.C. in 2001 and 15,967 in 2002.

Soon said there is an apparent problem in the way abortion numbers are collected and reported.

"Some clinics may not report and some may not report in a timely manner. The numbers aren't yet stable or knowable and that's why the data isn't clean enough yet to make any conclusions on that," she said."

Indeed, Medical Services Plan statistics claim that  15, 275 abortions were paid for in 2001 and 15, 364 in 2002.

Why the significant discrepancy in the reporting of abortion statistics?

It's is anyone's guess.

But under an NDP government, access to accurate and detailed abortion statistics were made impossible.  So far, the Liberal government has done nothing to alter the status quo, and abortion statistics continue to be a "secret" of government.