Abortion increasingly common for multiple pregnancies, English statistics show

June 13, 2017

British women who find themselves pregnant with twins are increasingly likely to abort one of the children.

New government statistics released on June 13 show that last year 141 women in England and Wales opted for “selective reduction” of twin, triplets, or in five cases, quadruplets. That figure was up nearly 100% from the previous year.

In about one-third of the cases involving triplets, the women chose to abort two children.

In contrast with most women choosing abortions, the women who chose “selective reduction” of their pregnancies were generally older and more likely to be married. They were also more likely to have had a previous abortion.

The statistics recorded 190,406 abortions were performed in 2016 in England and Wales. That figure has varied only slightly over the past five years. More than one-third of the women who procured abortions had at least one previous abortion.

 

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Further information:

• Record number of women choosing ‘selective’ abortions when pregnant with twins (Catholic Herald)