Yellowknife (Feb 18/05) - The Northwest Territories has by far the highest abortion rate in the country, according to a report released by Statistics Canada last week.

There were 245 abortions performed in 2002 - a per capita rate nearly 65 per cent higher than the national average and 25 per cent higher than the next closest jurisdiction, Quebec. The statistics are the most current available.

Daryl Dolynny, pharmacist/owner of Shoppers Drug Mart, holds up a package of "Plan-B," a doctor prescribed abortion pill. - Aaron Whitfield/NNSL photo

But Dr. Andre Corriveau, chief medical health officer of the NWT, said those numbers can be somewhat misleading. The statistics do not take into account the high birth rate in the territory - 15 per 1,000 residents in 2002. The NWT birth rate trails only Nunavut and is 50 per cent higher than the national average.

Corriveau explained that with more pregnant women per capita in the territory, there will be more abortions.

Examining the number of abortions to births however, shows statistics that are similar to the rest of the country, he said. "We have a younger population here and more women in their child bearing years," said Corriveau.

Territorially, the abortion rate declined 14 per cent between 2001 and 2002, a drop that mirrored the rest of Canada. Corriveau said it was still important for the territorial government to promote safe sex and discourage women from using abortions as a form of birth control.

The high rate of sexually transmitted diseases - pegged a nearly 10 times the national average in some cases - is another indication that teenagers and young adults have not fully embraced condom use, Corriveau said.

Legally, a woman can have the procedure at any time during her pregnancy, though Canadian Medical Association guidelines prohibit abortions after 20 weeks. The process usually involves simply asking a doctor.

Yellowknife is currently the only place in the territories where a woman can get an abortion, Corriveau said.

While the procedure is relatively simple during the first trimester - women can take a progesterone-blocking pill that causes a miscarriage - Corriveau said the privacy of patients would be difficult to protect in smaller communities.

"It provides some degree of anonymity," he said.

Abortions are considered an "insured service" by the territorial government, which will fly patients south to Edmonton, Calgary or even Montreal if a more complicated surgical abortion is necessary.

Statistics reveal no significant differences between the abortion rates of aboriginals and non-aboriginals or between Yellowknife and the rest of the territories, Corriveau said.

Unlike the United States, there are no laws in Canada that restrict abortion.

Nationally, there are 32 abortions for every 100 live births and more than 50 per cent of those were performed on women in their 20s, said the StatsCan report.