Determinants of Abortion in a High Contraceptive-Use Setting in a Northern Province in Vietnam

Ashish Bajracharya, Population Council
Peter Miller, Population Council
Tung Q. Mai, Population Council
Liem T. Nguyen, Institute of Population, Health and Development, Vietnam

In Vietnam, although contraceptive use rates are reported to be around 80%, the abortion rate continues to be among the highest in the world. In this study, we explore why, given the seemingly ready access to and use of contraception in Vietnam, the abortion rate remains so high. Using a sample of women aged 15-49 from a survey with unique abortion history data conducted in the Thai Nguyen province by the Population Council and the Institute of Population, Health and Development (N=913), we use descriptive and multivariate analyses to explore the influence of four potential determinants of the demand for abortion in settings with high contraceptive use: ineffective use of contraceptives (including traditional methods), lack of adequate post-abortion counseling, sex-selective abortion, and ease of access to abortion. Key implications for policy, particularly related to increasing access to effective contraceptive methods, improving quality of counseling, and addressing sex-selective abortion are discussed.