Abortions reach record levels across county
RISING numbers of abortions took place in Derbyshire last year – as medical leaders call for protected spaces around clinics to prevent women being harassed by antiabortion demonstrators.
Last year 3,009 abortions took place in Derbyshire, a 4.8% increase from 2,870 in 2020, and 11.4% higher than the 2,702 during the pre-pandemic year, according to figures from the Department of Health and Social Care.
Last year’s figures include 68 girls under the age of 18, up from 60 in 2020. Experts believe the increase is partly because of changes to the law, allowing women to have abortions at home.
This may have been coupled with the financial pressures brought by the pandemic, along with rising costs meaning money troubles are likely to play a part in decisions to continue a pregnancy.
Lengthy waits for NHS treatments have also made it harder for women to access contraception, in particular long-acting methods such as the coil or contraceptive implant, as these require face-toface consultations and a fitting performed by a professional. However, access to contraception was already an issue even before the pandemic, after reductions in sexual health service budgets.
Across England and Wales as a whole, there were 214,869 abortions reported in 2021, up from 210,860 during the pandemic, and the highest since the Abortion Act was introduced in 1967. That means the abortion rate has increased to 18.6 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 – also the highest on record – rising from 18.2 in 2020.
But among girls under 18, the rate has fallen to 6.4 per 1,000, dropping from 6.9 in 2020 and from 15.0 a decade ago in 2011.
It comes at a time when abortion rights could be stripped away from women in the US due to the end of Roe versus Wade, the landmark Supreme Court ruling that granted federal protection to abortion rights. It may also fuel anti-abortion protests in the UK, with the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH) calling for the introduction of “safe access zones” around abortion clinics.
Speaking last month, FSRH president Dr Asha Kasilwal said: “The ongoing intimidation and harassment of patients and staff outside facilities providing abortion care across the UK is unacceptable and cause for serious concern. Everyone should be able to access abortion services free of intimidation and harassment. All healthcare workers should be able to access their place of work free of judgement or fear.”
In March 2020, the Government temporarily approved the home use of mifepristone and misoprostol, medicines used in early medical abortion. This meant eligible women could access early medical abortion care remotely, through a virtual consultation, then take the medication at home, without having to visit a clinic or face possible long delays. The temporary measures were made permanent in February of this year.
Dr Kasliwal said: “The figures also show women are increasingly conceiving later in life. Although for many this is a conscious decision, for others this is not so. The increase in abortions in women aged 30-34 may indicate an unmet need for contraceptive care and services for women over 30.
“Access to contraception and information must be understood as vital features of abortion care for all age groups. We need a joinedup holistic healthcare system that is simple to navigate and supports women and girls of any age to make the best choices for their sexual and reproductive health at any point of their life course, wherever they live.”