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Abortion

Volume 494: debated on Monday 15 June 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women seeking an abortion in England gave addresses in (a) Northern Ireland, (b) the Republic of Ireland, (c) the State of Israel, (d) Malta and (e) Poland in 2008. (279044)

Information can be found in ‘Abortion Statistics, England and Wales, 2008’, in Table 12a. The. document has been placed in the Library. In England and Wales, in 2008, there were 1,173 abortions for residents of Northern Ireland, 4,600 for residents of the Republic of Ireland, 38 for residents of Malta and 30 for residents of Poland. There were less than five (between 0 and four) abortions for residents of Israel.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions have been performed under the Abortion Act 1967 in each year since 1991; and how many and what percentage were performed (a) to save the life of the mother and (b) where the child would have been seriously disabled in each such year. (279069)

The information is shown in the following table.

Abortions by grounds1, residents, England and Wales, 1991-2008

Section 1(4)

Section 1(1)(c)

Section 1(1)(d)

Total

Total

Percentage

Total

Percentage

Total all abortions

1991

5

375

0.2

1,710

1.0

167,376

1992

2

254

0.2

1,802

1.1

160,501

1993

3

163

0.1

1,935

1.2

157,846

1994

1

146

0.1

1,796

1.1

156,539

1995

0

126

0.1

1,823

1.2

154,315

1996

3

128

0.1

1,929

1.1

167,916

1997

4

117

0.1

1,853

1.1

170,145

1998

2

106

0.1

1,830

1.0

177,871

1999

1

94

0.1

1,813

1.0

173,701

2000

3

134

0.1

1,833

1.0

175,542

2001

0

61

0.0

1,722

1.0

176,364

2002

1

116

0.1

1,894

1.1

175,932

2003

2

3137

0.1

1,941

1.1

181,582

2004

2

3128

0.1

1,894

1.0

185,415

2005

2

3128

0.1

1,916

1.0

186,416

2006

2

149

0.1

32,036

1.1

193,737

2007

2

112

0.1

31,939

1.0

198,499

2008

2

51

0.0

31,988

1.0

195,296

Total

25

32,525

0.1

333,654

1.1

3,154,993

1 Grounds under the Abortion Act 1967:

Section 1(4) that the termination is immediately necessary to save the life or to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman.

Section 1(1)(c) that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant woman, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated; or

Section 1(1)(d): that there is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped

2 Suppressed value less than 10 (0 to 9 cases). Data suppressed for reasons of confidentiality, in line with the Office for National Statistics’ guidance on the disclosure of abortion statistics (2005).

3 Total includes very small numbers less than 10 (0 to 9) where suppressed elsewhere.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the abortion rate per 1,000 women aged (a) 19, (b) 18, (c) 17, (d) 16, (e) 15, (f) 14 and (g) under 14 years was in 2007-08; and what forecast he has made of the rate in each of the next 10 years. (279070)

The information is shown in the following table.

The reasons women seek an abortion are complex and may be subject to a number of different factors. The 2008 abortion statistics show a decrease in the number of abortions performed in younger women. The Government invested £26.8 million in 2008-09 and will be investing £20.5 million in 2009-10 to improve women's access to contraception and help reduce the number of abortions, repeat abortions and teenage pregnancies.

Abortion rates by age under 20, England and Wales, residents, 2007 and 2008

Abortion rate per 1,000 women

Age

2007

2008

19

36

36

18

32

33

17

27

27

16

19

18

15

9

9

14

3

3

under 14

n/a

n/a

To ask the Secretary of State for Health which 10 primary care organisations had the (a) highest and (b) lowest abortion rates in England per 1,000 women aged (i) under 16, (ii) 17, (iii) 18, (iv) 19, (v) 20 and (vi) 21 years in 2008. (279078)

The information is shown in the following table.

Highest and lowest abortion rates by primary care organisation and age, England, 2008

Age rate

Primary care organisation

Rate per 1,000 women

Under 161

England

4

Lowest rates

Kingston

2

Tower Hamlets

2

Richmond and Twickenham

2

Harrow

2

West Hertfordshire

2

North Yorkshire and York

2

Devon

2

Berkshire West

2

Cambridgeshire

2

Somerset

2

Highest rates

Torbay

8

Barnsley

8

Lambeth

8

Lewisham

8

Darlington

8

Islington

8

Rotherham

8

Manchester

9

Greenwich Teaching

11

Southwark

11

16 years

England

18

Lowest rates

North Somerset

9

Berkshire West

9

Lincolnshire

9

Harrow

10

Cambridgeshire

10

Mid Essex

10

Berkshire East

10

Redcar and Cleveland

11

Derbyshire County

11

West Hertfordshire

11

Highest rates

Darlington

30

Havering

31

Islington

31

Coventry Teaching

31

City and Hackney Teaching

32

Southwark

34

Camden

36

Torbay

37

Lambeth

37

Lewisham

40

17 years

England

27

Lowest rates

Isle of Wight NHS

12

Cambridgeshire

14

Suffolk

15

Surrey

16

Oxfordshire

17

West Hertfordshire

18

North Somerset

18

North Lincolnshire

18

Bath and North East Somerset

18

Buckinghamshire

18

Highest rates

Croydon

47

City and Hackney Teaching

47

Barking and Dagenham

47

Torbay

49

Waltham Forest

50

Haringey Teaching

50

Coventry Teaching

51

Lewisham

53

Southwark

53

Lambeth

54

18 years

England

33

Lowest rates

Oxfordshire

18

Redcar and Cleveland

19

North Lancashire Teaching

19

Isle of Wight NHS

21

Dorset

21

Worcestershire

22

Gloucestershire

22

Bath and North East Somerset

22

Northumberland

23

Wiltshire

23

Highest rates

Croydon

52

Coventry Teaching

54

Waltham Forest

58

Enfield

58

Haringey Teaching

63

Lambeth

65

Greenwich Teaching

68

Lewisham

69

Barking and Dagenham

71

Southwark

89

19 years

England

34

Lowest rates

Bath and North East Somerset

16

Oxfordshire

19

County Durham

19

Cambridgeshire

19

Nottingham City

21

North Lancashire Teaching

21

Devon

21

East Riding of Yorkshire

22

Newcastle

23

Plymouth Teaching

24

Highest rates

Newham

57

Havering

61

Enfield

64

Greenwich Teaching

67

Croydon

68

Lewisham

70

Barking and Dagenham

72

Southwark

72

Waltham Forest

73

Lambeth

90

20 years

England

36

Lowest rates

Cambridgeshire

17

South Tyneside

18

County Durham

18

Nottingham City

19

Newcastle

20

Plymouth Teaching

20

Bath and North East Somerset

20

North Lancashire Teaching

21

Devon

22

North Staffordshire

22

Highest rates

Lewisham

63

Southwark

63

Waltham Forest

66

Croydon

67

Haringey Teaching

67

Enfield

67

Brent Teaching

69

Hammersmith and Fulham

70

Barking and Dagenham

79

Lambeth

91

21 years

England

34

Lowest rates

Oxfordshire

14

South Tyneside

15

Bath and North East Somerset

16

Bristol

17

Cambridgeshire

18

Devon

18

North Lancashire Teaching

18

Norfolk

19

North East Essex

20

County Durham

20

Highest rates

Croydon

63

Brent Teaching

63

Lewisham

63

Enfield

64

Waltham Forest

68

Southwark

72

City and Hackney Teaching

73

Haringey Teaching

74

Barking and Dagenham

78

Lambeth

86

1 Rates for under 16s are based on populations aged 13-15.

2 Suppressed value where rate is based on a total less than 10

Note:

Rates for PCOs are based on 2007 mid year population estimates.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health which 10 primary care organisations had the (a) highest and (b) lowest abortion rates in England per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 years in 2007. (279079)

Information for 2007 is shown in the following table.

Highest and lowest abortion rates by primary care organisation, England, 2007

Age standardised rate per 1,000 women resident, aged 15-441

England

18.8

Lowest rates

5PP

Cambridgeshire

11

5ND

County Durham

12

5NF

North Lancashire Teaching

12

5FL

Bath and North East Somerset

13

5PW

North East Essex

13

5QE

Oxfordshire

13

5NW

East Riding of Yorkshire

13

5PT

Suffolk

13

5NV

North Yorkshire and York

13

5PH

North Staffordshire

13

Highest rates

5C9

Haringey Teaching

32

5K9

Croydon

33

5K5

Brent Teaching

35

5A8

Greenwich Teaching

35

5NC

Waltham Forest

36

5C3

City and Hackney Teaching

36

5LF

Lewisham

37

5LD

Lambeth

39

5C2

Barking and Dagenham

40

5LE

Southwark

41

1 Rates for PCOs are based on 2006 mid-year population estimates.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 23 April 2009, Official Report, columns 830-32W, on abortion, what the characteristics were of the statistically most likely candidate in (a) England and (b) each health authority for an abortion in 2008 in terms of (i) the marital status of the woman, (ii) the age of the woman, (iii) the gestation of the pregnancy, (iv) the number of previous children borne by the woman, (v) the number of previous abortions undergone by the woman and (vi) the legal grounds under which the abortion was performed. (279122)

The information is shown in the following table.

Most common1 conditions for women having abortions in 2008, by strategic health authority of residence

Marital status

Age

Gestation (weeks)

Number of previous children

Number of previous abortions

Ground

England

Single with partner

20

7

0

0

C

East Midlands

Single with partner

20

8

0

0

C

East of England

Single with partner

18

8

0

0

C

London

Single with partner

24

7

0

0

C

North East

Single with partner

19

7

0

0

C

North West

Single no partner

20

6

0

0

C

South Central

Single with partner

20

7

0

0

C

South East Coast

Single with partner

19

7

0

0

C

South West

Single with partner

20

8

0

0

C

West Midlands

Single no partner

21

7

0

0

C

Yorkshire and Humber

Single with partner

20

8

0

0

C

1 Statistical mode (highest frequency). Note: Ground C: that the pregnancy has not exceeded its 24th week and that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman.