Figures Show Abortion Increase In Teenage Girls

New figures published today have shown a rise in abortions among young girls.

The Department of Health has released statistics revealing how many women had abortions in 2007.

The number of abortions among girls aged under 16 rose by 10% to 4,376 in 2007.

In the under 14s, abortions rose by 21% from 135 in 2006 to 163 in 2006.

Gill Frances, Chair of the Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group says that there is a need for "high quality sex and relationship education at school at at home and effective contraception".

It is understood that Primary Care Trusts have been given £13 million to improve contraceptive services.

Figures published last June revealed a 4% rise in all abortions between 2005 and 2006.

There were 193,737 abortions in England and Wales in 2006, up from 186,416 in 2005.

Last month MP's dismissed proposed changes to abortion law to keep the time limit for abortion at 24 weeks despite arguments for it to be cut to 22, 20, 16 or 12 weeks.

Life charity spokeswoman Joanne Hill said on the result: "Life is dismayed that MPs have failed to respond to overwhelming public support for a tightening of the abortion law, and asks how can we, as a compassionate society, continue to allow the abortion of babies that we can see are fully human?"

Ian Lucas, Co-ordinator of the Passion 4 Life campaign, said: "We are horrified at what the figures are at the moment.

"It looks likely that they will show another increase which will be another record high.

"If there is any more liberalisation of the law it is likely the numbers will go up again, which would be a complete tragedy"

However, Ann Furedi, Chief Executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Centre (BPAS) said that "unintended pregnancy still remains a significant public health problem".

"Every form of contraception has a failure rate and sometimes couples can fail to use contraception properly.

"Women are then faced with a difficult decision about a pregnancy need the option of accessible abortion care available to them as early as possible - and as late as necessary," she said.

Ms Furedi added that she hopes MPs will "recognise the importance for individual women and society of creating a more fit-for-purpose abortion law".

The British abortion law has never been extended to Northern Ireland. The Abortion Rights Campaign say "it is time women there had their own rights to abortion".

In the Abortion Rights' March 2007 opinion poll, 72% said it was not acceptable for a woman who had been referred for an abortion to have to wait beyond three weeks for the procedure.

It is reported that there have been almost seven million abortions since 1967. Currently there are up to 200,000 a year.

See: MPs Dismiss Abortion Time Limit Changes

(DS)