Austerity blamed for pushing number of abortions in England and Wales to 10-year high

'Women and their partners are making different fertility decisions in a climate of significant uncertainty,' says British Pregnancy Advisory Service

The final figures released by the Department for Health and Social Care revealed there were 16.7 abortions per every 1,000 women in England and Wales in 2017

More women are now having abortions than at any point in the past decade as campaigners say would-be mothers are calculating they cannot afford to have children.

There were 192,900 terminations in England and Wales last year – up four per cent from 2016 and the highest since 2008.

Researchers warned the combination of cuts to benefits and sexual health services had led to increasing numbers of women choosing terminations.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) – the UK’s largest abortion provider – pointed to last year’s introduction of the two-child benefit cap, which can leave parents £2,780 a year worse off for each child they have after their second.

Katherine O’Brien, of BPAS, said the changes “present economically disadvantaged women with a choice between falling into deeper poverty or having an abortion that she may otherwise not want”, adding: “This is simply cruel.

“Women and their partners are making different fertility decisions in a climate of significant uncertainty and, for some families, acute financial hardship.”

She said BPAS sees women who are choosing to end a pregnancy due to financial hardship while Turn2Us, a charity which helps people living in poverty, has reported pregnant women seeking information about what their entitlements would be if they were to have a child.

“No contraceptive is 100 per cent effective, and due to closures of family planning clinics, women of all ages are struggling to access the method that they need,” Ms O’Brien added.

“The government must ensure contraceptive services are properly funded to enable women to avoid unwanted pregnancies, while also creating policies which support those who wish to have their baby.”*

Figures reveal there were 16.7 abortions per every 1,000 women last year. Over the last decade, abortion rates have been decreasing for under-25s, though there has been a rise for over-30s.

Imogen Stephens, of UK abortion provider Marie Stopes, said the rise in abortions was linked to cuts to sexual health services.

She said: “A study performed by the advisory group on contraception this year has shown where local authorities have reduced their spending on reproductive and sexual health, there has been an increase in abortion requests in those areas.

“This is a time of austerity and raising a child is expensive.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are committed to maintaining a safe and caring environment for all women who need an abortion.

“It is encouraging to see that the number of women under 18 having abortions has fallen to record lows – however, we do want to better understand why rates in older women are increasing and we are monitoring this trend closely.”