The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children has described abortion figures for 2019, released today by the Department for Health and Social Care, as “a national tragedy”. 209,519 unborn children were aborted in England and Wales in 2019; the highest number since the Abortion Act came into force in April 1968.

Antonia Tully, SPUC Director of Campaigns, said: “We are looking at a national tragedy here. This appalling figure shows us that abortion is becoming more and more normalised. Propaganda telling women that abortion is ‘simple and safe’ coupled with easier access to abortion pills is driving up abortion numbers.

“But behind the figures are real women who have taken an irreversible step and who are likely to be suffering physically or emotionally.

“The lockdown measure to allow DIY home abortions is compounding the myth that abortion is a normal and easy thing to do. It isn’t.

“Women deserve the truth about the harm that abortion can do to them. Agencies such as ARCH (Abortion Recovery Care and Helpline) can help heal the wounds of abortion in both women and men. Nothing can bring back a dead baby.”

Behind each statistic is a dead baby

The statistics bring home the horror of abortion, as the statistics for 2019 reveal:

• 73% of abortions were medically induced.  
• 98 % of unborn children were killed under Ground C, “That the pregnancy has NOT exceeded its 24th week and that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman”. 99.9% of these were reported as being performed because of an unspecified risk to the woman’s mental health.
• 52,235 unborn children were killed at home through DIY home abortion. This equates to 36% of all early medical abortions in 2019.
• 3,183 unborn children were killed under Ground E - suspected disability.
• 275 of the abortions carried out under Ground E took place after 24 weeks.
• 66% of Ground E abortions were performed at 15 weeks and over.
• 126 abortions selective terminations were carried out. Selective terminations involve killing unborn children in the womb if there is more than one. This is an increase from 111 in 2018.
• 40% of women undergoing abortions had one or more previous abortions.  The proportion has increased steadily from 34% in 2009.
• 1,014 women from Northern Ireland travelled to the United Kingdom to undergo and abortion.
• The number of women travelling from the Republic of Ireland to England and Wales for abortions declined from 2,879 in 2018 to 375 in 2019.

Targeting vulnerable communities

According to the new statistics, women living in the most deprived areas in England and Wales were more likely to have abortions than women living in the least deprived areas.

According to the most recent census from England and Wales, the black community in Britain was reported as 3.4% of the population. Shockingly, the 2019 abortion statistics reveal how 8% of women presenting for abortions in England and Wales recorded their ethnicity as black.

If you, or anyone you know has been affected by abortion, please contact the Abortion Recovery Care and Helpline (ARCH) for free, non-judgemental, confidential support: 0345 603 8501 or info@archtrust.org.uk.

For more information contact: Antonia Tully 07926 007 175