Appeal for safe spaces at clinics as abortions rise
RISING numbers of abortions took place in Rochdale last year - as medical leaders call for protected spaces around clinics to prevent women being harassed by anti-abortion demonstrators.
Last year 1,125 abortions took place in the borough, an increase from 991 abortions in 2020, according to figures from the Department of Health and Social Care.
This gives an abortion rate of 26.2 per 1,000 women in Rochdale.
Last year’s figures include 419 girls in Greater Manchester who were under the age of 18 when they had an abortion, down from 425 in 2020.
Experts believe the overall 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 and its aftermath, along with rising costs - meaning money troubles are likely to play a part in decisions to continue a pregnancy.
Lengthy waits for all manner of 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 healthcare professional.
It comes at a time when abortion rights could be stripped away from women in the USA due to the possible end of Roe V Wade, the landmark Supreme Court ruling that granted federal protection to abortion rights.
The controversy may have also fuelled antiabortion 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.”
Across England and Wales as a whole, there were 214,869 abortions reported in 2021, which is up from 210,860 during the pandemic, and the highest number 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.
Dr Jonathan Lord, consultant gynaecologist and spokesperson for the
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “The ONS statistics show that the overall rate of abortion has risen slightly from 2020 from 18.2 to 18.6 per 100,000 women in 2021.
“This demonstrates an increasing need for abortion care services that has been apparent for the past five years. It is vital that women are supported to take control of their own reproductive health through easy access to abortion and contraceptive care.”