2019 abortion statistics

I am in favour of legalised abortion as the alternative us horrific.

I am not against abortion but have two concerns. The first being the late date that some are carried out and the second that it's used as a form of contraception.

I agree with Galaxy

I want every baby to be a wanted baby. These are not babies they are foetuses. Women denied legal abortion have illegal ones or try to commit suicide. It's their body and they have the right to choose.

ditto trisher

they are not killing babies.The feotus aborted is not capable of living outwith the womb if the procedure is carried out before 24 weeks.In actual fact most are aborted before 13 weeks and those near or on 24 weeks is quite rare.Quite frankly when anyone decides to abort its no ones business but theirs .No religion or family or partner should have the right over someone elses body .

I agree with legal abortion. I am old enough to have been working as a student nurse before the '67 Abortion Act and witnessed young women dying on the gynae wards from septic abortion, either self inflicted or by illegal back street practitioners.

I have never come across a woman who used abortion as a means of contraception, or took the decision to abort lightly.

Late abortions are extremely few in number. I would hesitate to judge a woman who feels abortion is the only way she can cope with an often very difficult situation.

Unless you've walked a mile in someone else's shoes.........

If you have consensual intercourse in an established relationship, or as a one night stand and don't want to become pregnant, there are plenty of options available to prevent conception.

I agree that every baby should be a wanted baby but I do not agree that abortion should be seen as an option to contraception.

The article in the paper yesterday said the biggest growth in abortions was in the more mature women.
I can’t understand that.

All methods of contraception have a failure rate. I agree with early abortion but really struggle with the availability of late abortion up to due date for Down's syndrome or any 'severe foetal abnormality' (so called).

I struggle with that too Hetty.

There doesn't seem to be any evidence of abortion being used as contraception.
I support a woman's right to choose and I'm reassured that very few abortions take place after 13 weeks.

Iceland have practically no Downs any more as they are expected to abort them

There was a total of 205,295 abortions in 2018, including non-residents. For women resident in England and Wales there were 200,608 abortions. This is an increase of 7,762 (4%) total abortions since 2017 and the highest number recorded.
39% of women undergoing abortions had had one or more previous abortions.
47% of repeat abortions were to Black or Black British women.
There were 1,267 abortions to girls aged under 16.
Of these, 363 were to girls aged under 15.
There were also 746 to women aged 45 or over.
There were 3,269 disability-selective abortions in 2018.
618 of these were for Down’s syndrome
15 of these were for cleft/lip palate
There were a total of 289 late term abortions (24-week gestation and over).
111 ‘selective termination’ procedures were performed, where a twin, triplet or more were aborted in the womb.
98% of abortions are funded by The Department of Health. The number of abortions funded by the NHS performed by private abortion providers, such as bpas and Marie Stopes, reached a record high of 144,618, this represents 72% of abortions.
71% of abortions were medical abortions.
29% of abortions were surgical abortions.
Complications were reported in 336 cases in 2018, a rate of one in every 597 abortions

A good number of repeat abortions. Feotuses have a heartbeat at 2 weeks.

I'd like to know why you think someone else having an abortion for reasons that are her ow ..is anything to do with you? It doesn't affaect your life..if all the abortions done for just financial reasons or broken relationships went on to have babies that would affect you as a tax payer.Would you be first in line to help bring them up an dsupport them financially or does your concern stop at the maternity hospital exit door ?

There are lots of things that don't affect our lives that we have opinions on paddyanne, that doesn't mean we are not entitled to have them.

Until we live in a society where women and children are protected from poverty, where women who have children with disabilities are supported, where people with disabilities live full and equal lives, where women are not trapped in abusive relationships or suffer violence at the hands of men, then nobody should judge a woman who feels that because of whatever is going on in her life she can't carry her baby to term.

Tragically, many women have to choose between doing the very best for the children they already have - or having another baby.

I am surprised no one is concerned about the high number of abortions. I was horrified at the high numbers.
Magsymoo I judge no one.

What Magsymoo Galaxy Paddyanne & others have said. This is women’s personal business and nothing to do with anyone else.

Your posts certainly sound to me as though you are judging the women who had abortions. I'm curious that you mention that 47% of repeat abortions were to black or black British women.
What is your point MrsHappy?

Whatever reason for the abortion is the right reason for those concerned, I do not feel it is anybody elses business.

Maybe it’s because those women are the ones who find it the most difficult to access reliable birth control, Ian64? . Family planning clinics have closed and anyone on here who has complained about the difficulty in getting a doctor’s appointment must also know that the same applies for appts for FP purposes. My dd finds it difficult to even get a repeat prescription for the pill from her GP!

2 weeks after a missed period
So 6 weeks pregnant. Not two.

All women should have a legal right to choose, and not be judged.