Steep rise in abortions after older women miss out on services
ABORTIONS have leapt by more than 10 per cent in many parts of the country – and campaigners say a drive to cut teenage pregnancies partly explains the rise.
Areas including London, Essex, Kent, Leicester, Nottingham and Manchester saw a record number of terminations last year.
Those aged in their late 20s and 30s are undergoing more procedures than ever before.
Experts say women in this age group often miss out on access to contraception help because it is tailored to younger women and teenagers. They have warned that this, along with the closure of sexual health clinics during the pandemic, means the number of abortions could reach new highs by the end of the year.
Katherine O’Brien, at the British
Pregnancy Advisory Service, said: “Cuts to sexual health services have had a real impact on women’s ability to access contraception. In some areas, sexual health services have had to restrict access to clinics.
“Because there is still a concerted drive to reduce teenage pregnancy rates, it can mean that older women miss out on services. During the lockdown, the situation has worsened.”
Government figures show, across
England and Wales, there were 209,519 abortions performed last year. That’s up from 205,295 in 2018 – a rise of two per cent nationally. However, an analysis of regional data found many areas have seen much larger annual rises.
The highest regional surge was in the East Midlands where abortions leapt from 13,605 to 14,733 – a rise of seven per cent. In Nottingham the figure was 14 per cent – the largest annual rise of any English city. In Leicester it was 13 per cent.
Six per cent rises were recorded in the West Midlands and Essex. In London – where abortions rose 43,805 to 44,213 – the borough of Hillingdon saw an eight per cent rise. Experts say spending on sexual health services in some parts of the UK has fallen by 25 per cent in real terms in five years.
Jonathan Lord, Marie Stopes UK’s medical director, said: “We regularly speak to women who have experienced difficulties accessing contraception and this has deteriorated during the pandemic.”