title: Incidence of legal abortion in Sweden after the Chernobyl accident.
abstract: The number of legal abortions in Sweden increased around the time of the Chernobyl accident, particularly in the summer and autumn of 1986. Although there was no recording of reasons for legal abortions, one might have suspected this increase to be a result of fear and anxiety after the accident. However, seen over a longer time perspective, the increase in the number of abortions started before and continued far beyond the time of the accident. There was also a simultaneous and pronounced increase in the number of births during the years subsequent to the accident. Therefore, it seems unlikely that fear of the consequences of radioactive fall-out after the Chernobyl accident resulted in any substantial increase of the number of legal abortions in Sweden.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Uppsala, Academic Hospital, Sweden.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Odlind
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ericson
mesh_terms: D000029:Abortion, Legal / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000059:Accidents / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009688:Nuclear Reactors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D014455:Ukraine