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UK Wedding News

09/06/2015

DH Publishes Latest Abortion Statistics

The Department of Health (DH) has published its latest statistics regarding the number of abortions carried out in England and Wales in 2014.

According to the official figures, more women now have a termination by taking a pill, rather than undergoing a surgical procedure. Medical abortions accounted for 51% of all terminations, and it signifies the first year where there have been more medical procedures than surgical ones.

In total, 184,571 abortions were carried out in England and Wales last year. This is a fall of 0.4% from the previous year.

Women aged 22 were found to have the greatest amount of terminations, while 37% were to women who had already had one – or more – abortions. The number of women under 16 and under 18 having abortions fell, to 2.5 per 1,000 and 11.1 per 1,000 women, respectively.

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This compares to 2013 figures of 2.6 per 1,000 and 11.7 per 1,000 women, respectively.

However, 54% of women who had an abortion, had one – or more – previous pregnancies.

Looking at when the abortions were carried out, 92% were under 13 weeks gestation, with 80% said to be at less than 10 weeks.

Commenting on the statistics, Ann Furedi, Chief Executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), said: "No form of contraception is 100% effective, and women will always need straightforward access to abortion services as a back-up if they are to plan their lives and families in the way they see fit.

"Having done so much to improve contraceptive services for younger women, we must also ensure the needs of older women are met.

"One in three women will have an abortion in her lifetime. It is a fundamental part of women's reproductive healthcare, as these statistics demonstrate. It makes no sense that abortion remains within the criminal law in this country, and that women still the need authorisation of two doctors before they can end their own pregnancy.

"It also remains a travesty that in 2015, women from Northern Ireland are unable to access the care they need at home. The time really has come to decriminalise abortion across the UK and regulate it like every other women's healthcare procedure."

(JP/MH)

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"The Department of Health (DH) has published its latest statistics regarding the number of abortions carried out in England and Wales in 2014."