Pregnancy terminations in the former and new federal states

In 1998 there were a total 131795 induced abortions performed in Germany. This amounted to 168 abortions per 1000 live births and 8 women out of 1000 in reproductive age had an abortion. The province of Sachsen-Anhalt is in the upper end of abortion statistics (25%) probably owing to the high unemployment rate and lower than average income in the new federal provinces. In the whole Federal Republic in 1998 an average of 14% of all viable pregnancies were terminated: in the old Federal Republic this proportion was 12% while in the new provinces it reached 23%. In the old federal provinces abortions occurred mainly in the 18-24 age nulliparous group while in Sachsen-Anhalt the majority of women undergoing abortion already had 1-2 children and most often were in the 30-34 age group. In provinces and cities where the quality of family planning centers and medical facilities for terminating pregnancy was above average the proportion of abortions performed on women outside the area was particularly high (e.g. Bremen Saarland Hamburg and Hessen). Accurate reporting for reimbursement by insurance also could have influenced the figures because in Sachsen-Anhalt the costs of abortions were mainly paid for by health insurance while in Bavaria most abortions were paid for privately.