Abortion rate rises, repeat abortions common, English statistics show
May 29, 2012
Abortion rates rose in England and Wales last year, with a total of 189,931 abortions performed. That figure is only slightly (0.2%) higher than the 2010 number, but 7.7% above the rate 10 years ago.
The Department of Health report shows that 36% of all abortions were procured by women who had undergone abortions one or more times before. Even among women under the age of 25, some 26% of the pregnancies terminated were repeat abortions.
Andrea Minichiello Williams, the head of Christian Concern, said that the new statistics should prompt new thinking about the legal status of abortion. In passing the Abortion Act of 1967, “Parliament never intended abortion to be available on demand,” she said. Yet the overall number of abortions continues to rise.
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Further information:
- New figures show high abortion rate continues with young women at risk (Christian Concern)
- Abortion Statistics, England and Wales: 2011 (Department of Health)
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