No. Many people think that if women used contraception then there would be no need for them to have abortions. This seems logical, but it is not the case.

In 2017, BPAS published a report stating that 51.2% of women who terminated pregnancies at their clinics in 2016 were using at least one type of contraception. One in four were using the supposedly more reliable hormonal contraception or a long-acting reversible contraceptive method (LARC), such as the inter-uterine coil. Anne Furedi, one time chief executive of BPAS has also stated that abortion should be regarded as “just another type of birth control.”

In the US, just before the overturn of Roe v Wade, commentators asked: Has modern birth control made abortion a thing of the past? They concluded that even though Americans can choose from “16 forms of birth control, two types of emergency contraception or ‘morning-after pills’, and three methods of sterilization” there will always be a need for abortion, because contraception can fail.

Abortion has its roots in contraception in that both instil in women the idea that they have complete control over their bodies and over whether they have a baby or not. Indeed, abortion advocates see abortion as on a continuum with contraception in controlling unintended pregnancies. This can involve:

1. Preventing ovulation by use of hormonal contraception.
2. Where an egg has been released, using barrier methods of contraception and hormonal methods aimed at preventing fertilisation.
3. Emergency contraception to prevent implantation of any embryo conceived.
4. Medical or surgical abortion when conception has taken place.

Few people would equate using contraception with having an abortion. Yet many are unaware of the abortifacient nature of some contraception which may work either before or after fertilisation.