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Key facts
ISSUES
: Abortion
Key facts
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The Abortion Act 1967 came into effect on 27
April 1968, permitting abortion in Great Britain
(not including Northern Ireland) by registered
practitioners subject to certain conditions. (page 1)
Ö
The crude abortion rate in 2014 was highest at 28.0
per 1,000 for women aged 20–24. The under-16
abortion rate was 2.5 per 1,000 women and the
under-18 rate was 11.1 per 1,000 women, both lower
than in 2013. (page 1)
Ö
The majority of abortions are performed at or under
13 weeks gestation.(page 1)
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32% of abortions in 2014 were performed in NHS
hospitals and 67% in NHS agencies, totalling 98%
of abortions. The remaining 2% were privately
funded. (page 2)
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Among women who have experienced a previous
abortion 27% are under 25 and 46% are over 25.
(page 2)
Ö
If you pay for an abortion at a private clinic, the cost
is around £400 or more – depending on the stage of
your pregnancy. (page 4)
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By law, two doctors have to agree that you can have
an abortion. Usually this is the first doctor you see
and a second doctor who will perform the abortion.
(page 5)
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37% of the abortions carried out under ground E
(substantial risk that if the child were born it would
suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as
to be seriously handicapped) in 2015 were because
of chromosomal abnormalities. 22% were because
of congenital malformations of the nervous system.
(page 7)
Ö
The abortion rate for England and Wales was
15.9 per 1,000 women aged 15–44 in 2014. Rates
fell slightly among all age groups under 25, and
remained stable or rose marginally among women
over 25. 56% of abortions in England and Wales
were performed on women over the age of 25 in
2014. (page 10)
Ö
In 2014, nearly 4,000 abortions were conducted in
private clinics, with costs ranging from £600 to over
£2,000. (page 11)
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In Finland, Iceland and the UK restrictions are in place
yet abortion rates remain relatively high at 174, 223
and 253 terminations per 1,000 live births. (page 14)
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Unsafe abortions are one of the leading causes of
maternal mortality across the globe, accounting for up
to 15% of the 800 women who die from preventable
pregnancy-related causes every day. (page 22)
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A recent study showed Pakistan (where abortion is
legal only to preserve the mother’s health) to have the
highest rate of complications from unsafe abortions,
with 14.6 in every 1,000 women aged between 15 and
44 needing treatment. Regionally, Asia had the highest
rate, with 4.6 in 1,000 women needing treatment every
year. This, the authors said, was driven by high rates
in South-Central Asia. (page 22)
Ö
According to the Federation of Women and Family
Planning, between 80,000 and 100,000 Polish women
obtain abortions each year. The fact that in 2011 only
669 legal terminations were registered makes it clear
that the law is not stopping the procedures from being
carried out. (page 23)
Ö
Three quarters of respondents in 23 countries around
the world say that abortion should be permitted.
45% say it should be permitted whenever a woman
decides she wants one and only 5% say that abortion
should never be permitted, no matter what the
circumstances. (page 28)
Ö
By far the most commonly cited ground for abortion
is that the continuance of the pregnancy would risk
greater damage to the mental or physical health of the
mother than termination. This is what most people call
the “social clause”, which accounts for around 98 per
cent of abortions – typically around 180,000 a year.
(page 30)
Ö
84% of people in Sweden think that a woman should
be permitted an abortion whenever she wants one.
This is in contrast to 35% in Japan and just 11% in
Peru. (page 33)
Ö
If you have an illegal abortion in Ireland, you risk 14
years in prison. If you’re a healthcare provider and
refer a woman to seek an abortion abroad, it’s a fine
of up to
€
4,000. (page 34)
Ö
Strict restrictions mean that just 23 terminations were
carried out at NHS hospitals in Northern Ireland last
year. An estimated 4,000 women were forced to leave
Ireland, north and south, to terminate their pregnancy,
with an estimated 2,000 travelling to England.
(page 35)
