410 livebirth abortions in Canada from 2018 to 2022

Statistics Canada continues to report live birth abortions. There were 410 of them from 2018 to 2022. Code is P96.4 Termination of pregnancy affecting fetus and newborn.

Late-term stillbirth (902) and livebirth (150) abortions in 2018/2019

Live birth abortions continue to happen in Canada.

Here are the latest numbers of late term abortions in Canada from CIHI. There were 910 late-term (20 weeks and greater) stillbirths and 150 born alive abortions.

Previous years here.

20 of these born alive abortions were greater than 25 weeks gestation.
107 of these born alive abortions were between 21 – 24 weeks gestation.
23 of these born alive abortions were 20 weeks gestation.

Note: These are for hospital abortions only and do not include clinics or physician's offices. These numbers also do not include late-term abortions done in Quebec.

Who is lying - Kelowna Right to Life billboard or someone else?

Joyce Arthur has some problems with this billboard and she wants people to complain to Ad Standards. She thinks the following statements are all false. They are not.

My comments in bold on each of her statements.

implying that abortion is available until the 9th month of pregnancy

(Abortion is legal in Canada up until 9 months of pregnancy)

implying that full-term foetuses are routinely aborted 

(From 2013/2014 to 2017/2018 there were 5,048 late-term abortions in Canada. These late term abortions were all at least > 500 grams or 20 weeks gestation

2014-2015 Livebirth abortions: there were 14 abortions from (25 +) weeks gestation 

2015-2016 Livebirth abortions: there were 6 abortions from (29 +) weeks gestation / unknown gestation 

2016-2017 Livebirth abortions: there were 8 abortions from (25 +) weeks gestation 

2017-2018 Livebirth abortions: there were 5 abortions from (29 +) weeks gestation / unknown gestation)

claiming that Canadian law allows abortion up to 9 months

(There were a Total of 33 Livebirth abortons of (25+ weeks gestation) / unknown gestational age in a five year period)

implying that most abortions happen around 16 weeks or later 

(At least 5,048 later than 20 weeks, unknown how many were between 16 and 20 weeks)

calling a foetus a “child” or a “person” 

(A fetus is a very young human child)

making unsupported statements, e.g. “up to 25% of your friends, neighbours and relatives are likely missing” due to abortion 

(in Canada in 2018 there were 385,777 live births. There are about 100,000 abortions in Canada each year. Looks to me like approximately 25% of pregnancies ended in abortion)

using the word “committed” rather than “performed”, to imply that abortion is illegal 

(to commit: carry out or perpetrate (a mistake, crime, or immoral act).

equating legal abortion with extreme child abuse 

(abortion is extremely abusive towards the pre-born child)

characterizing abortion as a procedure to be “performed at the patient’s request without a referral”

(no referral is required in Canada for abortion)

implying that most abortions occur later in pregnancy by showing images of later-term fetuses

(5,048 is a lot of late term abortions)

implying that fetuses at all stages of gestation will feel pain in an abortion 

(one fetus feeling pain from an abortion is one too much)

claiming that "Canada has no abortion laws" when the 1988 R.v. Morgentaler decision that legalized abortion in fact stands as law as decreed by the Supreme Court, and abortion is regulated in other ways (such as through the Canada Health Act) 

(there are no laws in Canada that provide any protection to the pre-born child)

Canada: why did 766 late-term livebirth abortions happen?

This is extremely depressing.

According to new data, livebirth late-term abortions are still happening in Canada. And the numbers are way too high.

According to CIHI, There were 766 late-term livebirth abortions in a five year period from 2013/2014 to 2017/2018. These numbers are even higher since they exclude Quebec.

There has been much speculation about the reasons for these late-term livebirth abortions (P96.4 Termination of pregnancy) but we have no hard data on why they happen since the reasons or circumstances aren't published with the data.

A study was done in Quebec in 2016. That study:

"found the number of infants who were born alive and died after an abortion jumped from one per 100,000 in 1986-1999, to 19.4 per 100,000 between 2000 and 2012. Those accidental live births totalled 218 babies."

The study's author asked these sobering questions:

“How are such infants cared for?” they ask in the journal Neonatology. “If not resuscitated, is palliative care provided? Are the infants admitted to neonatal units or do they die in the delivery room?”

All information regarding the reasons they happen, and what happens to the child after they are born alive, is anecdotal.

But they do happen. This we know for a fact and we know the numbers: 766 late-term livebirth abortions in a five years period.

(Note: below is all my data on this. 2017-2018, as well as data from 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 is new)

2013/2014 to 2017/2018 livebirth stillbirth abortion (Source: Compiled from CIHI)

2013-2014 livebirth stillbirth abortion (Source: Statistics Canada and CIHI)

2014-2015 and 2015-2016 livebirth stillbirth abortion (Source: CIHI)

2017-2018 livebirth stillbirth abortion (Source: CIHI)

2016-2017 livebirth stillbirth abortion (Source: CIHI) and this: https://run-with-life.blogspot.com/2018/04/20162017-152-livebirth-abortions-in.html

More than 1,000 late term abortions in 2017-2018

Below is the latest data from CIHI (2017/2018) on Canada's late term abortions.

(Update: I forgot to put the word "livebirth" in the four following statistics.)

There were 8 livebirth abortions done in Canada with a gestational age of 25-28 weeks.

There were 102 livebirth abortions done in Canada with a gestational age 21-24 weeks gestation.

There were 31 livebirth abortions done in Canada with a gestational age of 17-20 weeks gestation.

There were 5 livebirth abortions done in Canada with a gestational age of unknown gestational age and/or > 29 weeks gestation.

Totals:

• 910 late-term abortions in Canada resulting in a stillbirth. 
• 146 late-term abortions in Canada resulting in a livebirth. 

Last year's numbers.

All of these 1,056 were late-term abortions (20 weeks or greater gestation).

These numbers do not include late-term abortions from Quebec, so this number could be and probably is higher.

Definitions from CIHI:

Stillbirths from Termination of Pregnancy:

"P96.4 Termination of pregnancy, affecting fetus or newborn"

Newborns from Termination of Pregnancy:

"P96.4 Termination of pregnancy, affecting fetus and newborn"

Stillborn Abstracting:

"A stillborn is any intrauterine fetal demise or termination of pregnancy occurring at or after 20 completed weeks of gestation in which the fetus shows no signs of life. A liveborn resulting from a medical abortion prior to 20 weeks is considered pre-viable for the purposes of classification and an abstract is not created."

2016/2017 - 152 livebirth abortions in Canada in one year

In 2016/2017 there were 901 late-term abortions in Canada resulting in a stillbirth.

There were 152 late-term abortions in Canada resulting in a livebirth.

All of these 1,053 were late-term abortions (20 weeks or greater gestation).

These numbers do not include late-term abortions from Quebec, so this number could be and probably is higher.

Definitions from CIHI:

Stillbirths from Termination of Pregnancy:

"P96.4 Termination of pregnancy, affecting fetus or newborn"

Newborns from Termination of Pregnancy:

"P96.4 Termination of pregnancy, affecting fetus and newborn"

Stillborn Abstracting:

"A stillborn is any intrauterine fetal demise or termination of pregnancy occurring at or after 20 completed weeks of gestation in which the fetus shows no signs of life. A liveborn resulting from a medical abortion prior to 20 weeks is considered pre-viable for the purposes of classification and an abstract is not created."

You can read the full report from CIHI here.

Last time I blogged about livebirth abortions was for 2013/2014.