Abortions hit another record high in England and Wales

The number of abortions in England and Wales in 2021 reached the highest figure since records began.

There were 214,869 abortions in 2021, over 4,000 more than in 2020 according to data from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities.

In the United States, separate figures have revealed that one in five mothers aborted their unborn child in 2020.

Down’s syndrome

Nearly 90 per cent of abortions in England and Wales were chemically induced, 2 per cent higher than in 2020 and 40 per cent up on 2011.

Temporary Covid measures permitting unsupervised home abortions have been made permanent by both Westminster and the Welsh Government. Women believed to be less than ten weeks pregnant can procure abortion pills following just a phone or video consultation with a doctor.

There were 3,370 abortions on grounds of disability, with nearly a 20 per cent increase in those aborted after 24 weeks. Over 850 babies diagnosed with Down’s syndrome were aborted, along with 40 babies with cleft lip or palate.

In the UK, abortion is permitted up to 24 weeks for most reasons but is available at full-term for children deemed to have a disability. The Court of Appeal is set to hear Heidi Crowter’s legal challenge against the law on 13 July.

‘Heartbreaking’

Last year’s high exceeds the previous record for England and Wales set in 2020.

At that time, the Institute’s Ciarán Kelly said: “These statistics are as appalling as they are heartbreaking. Each year they remind us how little this society has come to value the life of the unborn child. Every child is precious, every child lost to abortion is a tragedy.”

Clare Murphy, Chief Executive of abortion giant the British Pregnancy Advisory Service blamed the new record number of abortions on “economic uncertainty and job insecurity”.

Women

In the United States, the Guttmacher Institute’s latest Abortion Provider Census indicated a one per cent rise in abortions across the country, from 916,460 in 2019 to 930,160 in 2020. This was eight per cent higher than in 2017.

The abortion rate also increased by 7 per cent for woman aged 15 to 44, from 13.5 abortions per 1,000 women in 2017 to 14.4 per 1,000 in 2020.

The census collected data from 1,687 facilities which performed abortions in 2019 or 2020.

In May, the US Supreme Court’s draft ruling on Roe v. Wade was leaked, indicating abortion law could be returned to state legislatures. The final ruling is expected this summer.

Attacks

Following the leak, 17 attacks have been reported on pro-life targets. Pro-abortion activist group ‘Jane’s Revenge’ has threatened “to take increasingly drastic measures” against those who seek to protect the unborn.

In the state of Washington, Representative Andrew Barkis’s office was recently firebombed by two unidentified persons.

The activists previously claimed responsibility for firebombing and vandalising a pro-life group’s headquarters in Wisconsin.