New figures have revealed that the National Health Service is spending around a million pounds a week on providing women with repeat abortions.
According to statistics released for 2010, the latest year for which figures are available, approximately one third of abortions are carried out on women who have had a previous termination, with single and unmarried women accounting for the highest number of repeat terminations.
The figures, which were released in response to a question in Parliament submitted by Labour health spokesman Diane Abbott, show that:
- Of the 189,000 abortions that were carried out in 2010, 64,000 abortions were on women who had undergone the procedure before;
- Five out of every six repeat abortions were carried out on single or unmarried women;
- Almost 100 repeat terminations were carried out on women who were under the age of 20; and
- 85 women were on their eighth abortion.
Since each abortion costs the National Health Service around £680, it means that almost £1 million is spent every week in England and Wales on providing women with repeat terminations.
Criticism
Critics say that the figures reveal that abortion is being used as another form of contraception, despite its serious health implications for women.
Josephine Quintavalle, of the Pro-Life Alliance, said: “The number of repeat abortions is simply extraordinary.
“Abortion is an unpleasant and harrowing experience for women and to hear it is happening repeatedly makes your hair stand on end.
“These figures show that, sadly, abortion is being seen by many as a form of contraception. But is this surprising when we live in a society which says it’s all right to have an abortion once. If it’s fine once, why not two, three or four times?”
Investigation
The newly released figures will add further pressure on an industry that is increasingly under the spotlight.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley ordered raids on more than 250 private and NHS abortion clinics earlier this year, which revealed that a significant number were breaching abortion laws and offering the procedure on demand.
It was discovered that 50 clinics were breaking the law, with doctors regularly falsifying consent forms and patients not receiving acceptable levels of advice and counselling.
A Daily Telegraph investigation also found that many clinics were offering sex-selective abortions. Many of these clinics will now face police inquiries and some may be stripped of the licences that allow them to offer abortions.
Comment
Andrea Minichiello Williams, CEO of Christian Concern, said:
“Abortion leads to the loss of human life and also carries significant mental and physical health risks for women. Treating abortion as another form of birth control ignores these realities.
“When Parliament passed the Abortion Act in 1967, it never intended to introduce abortion on demand. Our abortion laws need to be revised urgently.”
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