SPUC statement on abortion figures 2011 London, : Figures issued by the Department of Health today indicate that in 2011 there were almost 190,000 registered abortions on resident women in England and Wales.
A further 6,000 abortions were registered on non-residents.
Commenting on the figures, Paul Tully, general secretary of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) www.spuc.org.uk said: "The increase in registered abortions is only slight, but every abortion represents the death of one or more unborn children. Killing on an industrial scale is routine in most western countries, and it destroys the claim of nations to uphold peace and respect human rights for all. These are figures of which any country and any government should feel profoundly ashamed."
Mr Tully added: "The statistics also represent an increasing bonanza for the private abortion sector, as their share of the abortion market increases and more NHS money flows into their coffers. They are looking to widen their market further by promoting flawed birth control practices and by promoting abortion as a normal part of people’s sexual health needs. "We question the legality of promoting abortion on this footing: the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sally Davies, recently called for compliance with the terms of the Abortion Act which requires health grounds to permit an abortion. Yet in the vast majority of cases, spurious grounds are cited, and no effort is made to enforce the law."
"Vulnerable young and single women are the main target of abortion providers, and we are increasingly concerned that they are not being given full information about abortion procedures, the risks, and the alternative help available to them to go through with a pregnancy when facing problems", concluded Mr Tully.
The figures are available online at: http://transparency.dh.gov.uk/2012/05/29/abortion-statistics-2011/ Paul Tully, SPUC's general secretary, can be contacted on: * telephone: 0207 820 3127 * email: paultully@spuc.org.uk SPUC can be contacted on telephone 020 7091 7091.