Abortion in Britain

In 1968, according to Government figures, there were 23,641 abortions in England and Wales. In 2009, there were 195,743, of which 189,100  were resident.  There were 13,005 abortions in Scotland, making a total of 208,748. During the year, 1,123 women from Northern Ireland and 4,422 from the Irish Republic, where abortion is illegal, travelled for abortion on the mainland.  

Of 189,100 abortions on England and Wales residents, 94 per cent were funded by the NHS. Just one per cent were carried out because of suspected handicap, 22 per cent of these for suspected Down's syndrome.  “Injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman” were the grounds given for 184,000 of the 189,100 abortions (97 per cent).

63,390 of the 189,100 had already had at least one abortion and 48 of these had already had at least seven or more previous abortions.  89 girls aged 17 or under who had an abortion in 2009 had already had at least two previous abortions. 3,823 were under the age of 16 of whom 136 were under 14 years of age.

These figures do not include early abortions caused by the morning-after pill and some so-called contraceptives, for instance, the IUD, and at times, the pill, which allow fertilisation but prevent subsequent implantation of the embryo in the uterus.

Abortions using the abortion pill continued to rise, despite concerns about the pill's safety. Three British women have died after taking the pill and 79 have had adverse reactions since 1991. There have been calls in the United States for the pill to be banned on safety grounds.

Almost seven million babies have been killed by surgical abortion in Britain since 1967. One in five pregnancies in Britain now ends in abortion. Abortion is now permitted up to birth in certain cases.

The circumstances in which the 1967 legislation permitted abortion were amended by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, 1990. Abortion is now permitted if two doctors certify that abortion is justified on one or more of the following grounds:

• the continuance of pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the mother greater then if the pregnancy were terminated (no age limit);
• to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the mother (no age limit);
• the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk of injury to the physical or mental health of the mother or existing children of the family of the mother greater than if the pregnancy were terminated (up to 24 weeks of pregnancy);
• there were substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped (no age limit);
• in emergency, to save the life of the mother or prevent grave permanent injury to her physical or mental health.

Selective termination of one or more, but not all, fetuses in a multiple pregnancy is also permitted.

The majority of abortions are performed by vacuum suction. The cervix is dilated, a tube inserted into the uterus and a powerful suction machine suctions the baby in pieces from the womb into a container.

Some babies are aborted by dilation and curettage (D & C). The cervix is dilated, a loop-shaped steel knife is inserted in the uterus and the baby scraped out in pieces. In later pregnancies, dilatation and evacuation (D & E) is used. After the cervix is dilated, forceps are used to pull the baby out in pieces. An instrument is then inserted to crush the skull so the head can be removed. It is necessary to check that every part of the body has been removed so that infection does not occur. Some babies are aborted using RU486, also known as the abortion pill.

In late pregnancies, the mother will be given prostaglandin, inducing labour in order to produce a dead baby. A poison may be used to prevent a live birth. An alternative is hysterotomy, a surgical procedure similar to a Caesarean section, but with the intention of producing a dead baby rather than a live one.

Fewer than half of the abortions in the UK are performed on NHS premises, and the remainder in private abortion clinics, owned most often by companies like the Pregnancy Advisory Service, British Pregnancy Advisory Service and Marie Stopes. Because these companies are usually registered as charities, they are exempt from direct taxation, and receive substantial financial support, indirectly from the taxpayer, for abortions contracted out to them from the NHS. There are some 70 referral agencies licensed by the Government to offer advice on abortion. The majority of them are controlled by the same proprietors as the abortion clinics.

Pro-life organisations point out that human life begins at fertilisation. Every cell in the human body contains 46 chromosomes. A male sperm contains 23 chromosomes. A female ovum contains 23 chromosomes. When the two come together, they form a single cell with 46 chromosomes - 23 from the father and 23 from the mother. The sex of the new human being, his or her physical characteristics, height, colour of hair, colour of eyes, are already determined by the contents of that single cell. Shortly after fertilisation the cell begins to divide and multiply. One cell divides into two, two into four, four into eight. Nothing is added to that single cell until that single cell becomes a mature adult. To prevent the continuing growth of that cell at any stage is to terminate human life.

Three weeks after fertilisation, the baby's heart starts to beat and the mouth is beginning to open. Six weeks after fertilisation, electrical impulses from the brain can be recorded. By this time the baby has eyes, ears and internal organs. During the second month, the child begins to move and responds to touch. Facial features are forming. At two months, the baby can swim vigorously in the fluid which surrounds it. He, or she, has fingers and toes. During the third month, the child has fingerprints. He can turn his head, curl his toes, open and close his mouth and make a tight fist. Fingernails and toenails appear. He drinks, digests and urinates. Sexual differences can be distinguished. Most abortions are carried out between nine and 12 weeks.

Pro-lifers complain that women seeking abortion are not told that what is within them is a living child. Doctors seeking to spare women's feelings tell them 'It's just a clump of cells.' Abortion clinics tell women it is not yet a baby. Women are often not advised of the nature of the operation. They know that they are to have an abortion, but very often do not understand that it involves the dismembering of a living child. Women are often not warned of possible ill effects of abortion.

Pro-abortion organisations are campaigning for easier access to abortion and for free access to abortion on the National Health Service whenever it is needed. They want the law changed to allow abortion with the approval of only one doctor instead of two as at present, to allow nurses and midwives to be able to perform abortions in the early stages of pregnancy as well as doctors, to allow abortions to be performed other than on licensed premises, for instance in doctors' surgeries, and for the amended abortion law to be extended to Northern Ireland.

There is increasing pressure on politicians to reduce the upper age limit of 24 weeks where there is no suspected handicap, but there is a concern that if the upper age limit were reduced, early abortions would be made easier, with more abortions in total.

In 2008, attempts were made to use the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill as a vehicle to change abortion law. Attempts to reduce the 24-week upper limit for so-called social abortions were defeated. The Government did not allow time for further amendments to abortion law to be debated and voted on by MPs at the bill's third reading.

There are now 150 Christian pregnancy centres in Britain offering counsel and help. LIFE have a further 130 centres.

The effects of abortion

A report in 1994 by the commission of inquiry into the operation and consequences of the Abortion Act said physical effects of abortion can include perforation of the uterus, increased risk of miscarriage, and tubal infection, which is the most common cause of infertility. Women commonly suffer emotionally after abortion from what has come to be known as post-abortion syndrome.

A woman may have had an abortion for what she felt were the best of reasons. Perhaps she was young and still dependent; perhaps she felt her education or her career would be ruined. Perhaps her partner insisted, and threatened to leave if she didn't. Perhaps she felt she couldn't afford a baby; perhaps she had several children already. Perhaps she was told her baby would be handicapped; perhaps she was told she couldn't cope.

The feeling immediately after an abortion is usually one of relief. But emotional reactions may follow which can surprise the woman in their intensity. They may surface at different times - even a considerable time after the abortion - and in different ways. They may include grief, feelings of guilt and remorse, anxiety, depression, anger at husband, partner, family, doctor or other children, feelings of low self-worth, loneliness, emptiness or despair, sleeplessness, constant crying, excessive activity, eating disorders or problems with sex and relationships. These are symptoms of what is known as post-abortion syndrome.

Women sometimes try to bury these feelings. The abortion may have been a secret, or the woman may be afraid to talk about it in case she is judged or in case people do not understand. There is help available. The first step is to admit there is a problem and begin to talk about it with someone who does understand. Image provides free post-abortion counselling with experienced counsellors who understand the problem and are trained to help.

You can contact us on image's confidential telephone helpline. The number is 0845 330 8466. For further details, click on Pregnancy helpline.