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In England and Wales, legal abortion statistics are published by the Department of Health and Social Care. The total number for 2018 was 205,295:[116]
Legal abortions were carried out on the following grounds in England and Wales:
Statistics for Scotland are published by NHS Scotland. The total for 2018 was 13,286.[121] A small number of women travel to Scotland from countries where terminations are not so accessible and may be counted as Scottish residents if they provide a temporary Scottish postal address.[122]
Legal abortions were carried out on the following main grounds in Scotland:
Where there is only a small number of abortions for a particular ground, the number is suppressed by statisticians to avoid the risk of disclosing the identity of the persons involved, especially in smaller jurisdictions.
Statistics for Northern Ireland are published by the Department of Health. The total for 2017-2018 was 12.[124] As indicated, abortions are permitted in Northern Ireland if the act is to save the life of the mother, or if there is a risk of permanent and serious damage to the mental or physical health of the mother.
In 2018, 1,053 women from Northern Ireland travelled to England or Wales for an abortion; these were undertaken on the following grounds:
In the same year, 2,879 women from the Republic of Ireland travelled to England or Wales for an abortion. The main reasons for those abortions were as follows:
The Republic introduced limited legislation on abortion through the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013. The Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, which had (since 1983) acknowledged the right to life of the unborn child with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, was repealed by a referendum in May 2018 and new abortion legislation was introduced through the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018. "
"Post 1967 there was a rapid increase in the annual number of legal abortions, and a decline in sepsis and death due to illegal abortions."
"[127] In 1978 121,754 abortions were performed on women resident in the UK, and 28,015 on non-resident women.[128] The rate of increase fell from the early 1970s and actually dipped from 1991-95 before rising again. The age group with the highest number of abortions per 1000 is amongst those aged 20–24. 2006 statistics for England and Wales revealed that 48% of abortions occurred to women over the age of 25, 29% were aged 20–24; 21% aged under 20 and 2% under 16.[129]
In 2004, there were 185,415 abortions in England and Wales. 87% of abortions were performed at 12 weeks or less and 1.6% (or 2,914 abortions) occurred after 20 weeks. Abortion is free to residents,[127] 82% of abortions were carried out by the public tax-paid National Health Service.[130]
The overwhelming majority of abortions (95% in 2004 for England and Wales) were certified under the statutory ground of risk of injury to the mental or physical health of the pregnant woman.[130]
By 2009 the number of abortions had risen to 189,100. Of this number, 2,085 are as a result of doctors deciding 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.[131]
In a written answer to Jim Allister, the Northern Ireland health minister Edwin Poots disclosed that 394 abortions were carried out in Northern hospitals for the period 2005/06 to 2009/10 with the footnote that reasons for abortions were not gathered centrally.[132]
190,800 abortions were notified as taking place in England and Wales in 2013. 0.2% fewer than in 2012; 185,331 were to residents of England and Wales. The age-standardised rate was 15.9 abortions per 1,000 resident women aged 15–44 years; this rate increased from 11.0 in 1973, peaked at 17.9 in 2007, and fell to 15.9 in 2013.[133] For comparison, the EU average is only 4.4 abortions per 1,000 women in child-bearing age.[134]
Since approval of abortion in the UK in 1967 to 2014, 8,745,508 abortions have been performed.
In 2018, the total abortions in England and Wales was 205,295. In this year, the abortion rate was highest for those of the age of 21, and 81% were for those who were single.[135] "
The above, is the life and death reality of Abortions in general, in the U.K..
NB: The survey compares the results to respondents' voting habits for mainland parties, indicating the possibility that Northern Ireland was not included in this survey.
According to an August 2005 YouGov/Daily Telegraph survey, Britons' feelings toward abortion by gestational age were:[137]
A 2011 poll by MORI[138] surveyed women's attitudes to abortion.
Asked if a woman wants an abortion, she should not have to continue with her pregnancy:
Asked if too many women do not think hard enough before having an abortion
Asked if it should be made more difficult for women to obtain abortions