THE rate of abortions in Scotland fell to its lowest level for more than a decade last year.
A total of 11,777 terminations were carried out in 2013, a rate of 11.2 per 1,000 women aged 15-44, official health statistics show.
It is the lowest abortion rate since 2002, when the rate was 11.1, and continues the downward trend since 2008, when abortion rates peaked at 13.3.
The highest abortion rate was recorded in NHS Tayside at 12.9, closely followed by NHS Lothian and NHS Fife, both with a rate of 12.5.
The lowest rate was recorded by the island health boards — Orkney, Shetland and Western Isles — at 5.2 and the lowest mainland board was Highland at 8.8.
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