More women have had a medical abortion this past year than have had a surgical abortion, according to Department of Health statistics released on 9 June 2015. Medical abortions are induced via pill, and 2014 was the first year to see more than half of abortions performed in this way.
Additionally, nearly two in five women (37%) who had an abortion last year had had an abortion previously, and the age with the highest occurrence of abortion was 22 years old.
The Department of Health’s statistics for England and Wales also show that over 3,000 abortions were performed because the baby would have been born with a disability.
These statistics are of concern to pro-life groups for a number of reasons. First, abortion by pill separates women that much further from the reality that abortion is not just a form of contraception, but in fact kills an unborn child.
Worryingly, repeat abortions have moved from 31% of all women having abortions in 2001 to 37%, where it has held steady since 2012. This percentage may indicate the extent to which women erroneously view abortion as a contraceptive tool.
We must also question why women of 22 are having the largest number of abortions. Long-term physical and mental risks of abortion include depression and reduced fertility. We are failing our young women if we allow this trend to continue unchecked, when they will have to live with the consequences of their abortions for the longest.
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Related Coverage:
Pills 'used for most abortions' for first time (Telegraph)
Abortion Statistics, England and Wales: 2014 (Gov UK)