Register of Induced Abortions

Register description

In accordance with section 10 of the Personal Data Act 523/1999.

Controller

Name: National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL)
Postal address: PO Box 30 FI-00271 Helsinki
Visiting address: Mannerheimintie 166, 00271 Helsinki
Tel.: +358 29 524 6000

Person responsible for the register

Name: Anna Heino
Position: Special Planning Officer
Postal address: THL/Information Services/Register on Induced Abortions/ PO Box 30, FI-00271 Helsinki
Tel.: +358 29 524 7177
E-mail: [email protected]

Name of the register

Register on Induced Abortions

Grounds for maintaining the register

Statutory

  • Act on the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) (668/2008)
  • Act on Induced Abortion (239/1970)
  • Decree on Induced Abortion (359/1970)

Purpose of the register

Statistics and research.

Data subjects

The Register contains information on all legally induced abortions in Finland. The physician performing the procedure is required to report the case to THL within one month using a specific data collection form approved by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.

Data on induced abortions have been available in electric format since 1983. Paper forms are kept in the THL archive.

Data on the number of induced abortions have been published since 1950, when the first legislation on induced abortions came into force. Statistics from the years preceding 1983 were compiled from official statistical publications of the National Board of Health (one of THL’s predecessors). Information on the number of induced abortions is available from 1950, while from 1955, data also covers the grounds for abortions, among other things. From 1958 onwards there are data available on the patient’s marital status, age, number of births and the number of procedures performed in each province. Time series on almost all the variables today recorded are available from the mid-1970s onward.

Data content of the register

  • Personal identity number
  • Marital status (unmarried, married, domestic partnership, separated, widow, civil partnership, no information)
  • Municipality of residence (code and/or name)
  • Profession (open field, no profession, retired, unemployed, no information)
  • Cohabiting
  • Number of previous pregnancies
  • End year of last previous pregnancy and the outcome of the pregnancy
  • Method of contraception used at the time of becoming pregnant
  • Planned method of contraception following induced abortion
  • Information on unsuccessful induced abortion or partial induced abortion earlier in the same pregnancy
  • Decision-maker
  • Grounds for the induced abortion 
  • Diagnoses
  • Date of the procedure
  • Duration of the pregnancy up to the day of the procedure (weeks and days)
  • On what the estimate on pregnancy duration is based (ultrasound scan, embryo transfer/insemination)
  • Hospital (code and/or name)
  • Procedure (outpatient, ambulatory surgery, inpatient)
  • Method of termination and other practices
  • Complications

Regular data sources of the register

Data collection form approved by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health which is send to THL by the physician performing the procedure.

Regular disclosure of register data

FinData is authorised to disclose data in the Register on Induced Abortions to researchers for scientific research purposes after consulting the Data Protection Ombudsman.

Rights of access to data and right to rectify an error

Data subjects have no right of access to and no right to rectify their data entered into the register because the Register on Induced Abortions is a statutory statistical and research register. It is prohibited to use the personal data stored in it for decision-making or care concerning the data subjects.

Information on the processing of data

The controller is not liable to inform the data subjects on data processing because the Register on Induced Abortion is a statutory register.

Principles concerning protection of the register

The Register on Induced Abortions functions in accordance with the THL data security guidelines, which are detailed in the THL plan for general contingency and protection.

The materials of the Register on Induced Abortions, both in paper form and in electronic data, are kept in locked premises. Access to the premises is given only to certain named employees responsible for the Register. Electronic material is protected by user names and passwords. The Register uses access control software (auditing log).

Updated:

Homepage for the statistics

Induced abortions

On our website

All THL's register descriptions