Experts stress small numbers behind sharp rise in abortions among girls under 15

Experts and interest groups have warned against hasty conclusions about the strong increase in the number of abortions among girls under 15 years of age. They claim that the numbers indicate it is a small group, which means that the figures can swing year upon year.

Research conducted by the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate (IGJ) showed that the number of abortions among girls under 15 is 2.5 times higher than a year earlier. The total number of abortions also rose slightly, although no other age group saw as sharp an increase as young girls.

Abortion doctor Claire Houtvast, who is affiliated with the Dutch Association of Abortion Doctors, stressed that the figures concern a “minuscule group” of young girls. Of the nearly 40,000 abortions performed last year, 163 involved girls under the age of 15. The figure was 65 the previous year and 107 in 2023. “We see quite a bit of fluctuation in those numbers,” she explained. “With such a small group, you see that happen very quickly.”

Houtvast said she has not seen any signs of a sharp increase among girls under 15 in her daily practice. “There are still very few young girls who choose abortion in the Netherlands. I think we should focus on the fact that this is a group that knows how to find our care when they need it. We are very happy about that.”

Alina Chakh, chair of the advocacy organization Ava, said, “It is difficult to draw any meaningful conclusions from the figures. They only show the number of terminated pregnancies, or people who have needed this type of care. Nobody knows what lies behind those figures.”

Ava is an organization that advocates for everyone with a uterus. Chakh notes that abortion has become more accessible in recent years. “It is therefore not surprising that the overall number of abortions has increased,” she said. Other factors may also have influenced the figures, according to Chakh. For example, this is the first year that abortion figures from the BES islands have been included.

Chakh also believes the study addresses the wrong question. “The question should be: does everyone have access to the right knowledge and resources to regulate their fertility in a way that suits them? And have we organised abortion care well enough in the Netherlands?”

Fiom, an expertise centre for issues including unwanted pregnancies, also emphasises that fluctuations are easier to spot in a small group. “It is far too early to draw conclusions or conduct analyses,” a spokesperson said. Fiom also sees no signs of a sharp increase in abortions among young girls.