Abortion surged by 17% in 2022 when there were 252,122 abortions in England and Wales, the highest number ever recorded.
There were 3,124 legal abortions under Ground E in 2022, meaning there is said to be a “substantial risk” that the child “would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped”. In 2022, 64% of Ground E abortions were performed medically.
Down’s syndrome was listed 760 times as a present medical condition in abortions in which more than one condition was reported under Ground E, making it the most cited condition.
Chromosomal abnormalities accounted for 27% of listed conditions, including Down’s syndrome at 16%.
However, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has admitted to “a significant undercount” of Ground E abortions due to abortion staff consistently underreporting such cases.
After an investigation found “that almost half of ground E notifications are missing”, the DHSC wrote to “staff reminding colleagues of doctors’ responsibility” to record such abortions.
In April, it was revealed that 87.26% of unborn babies prenatally diagnosed with Down’s syndrome in England and Wales (and Crown Dependencies) were aborted in 2021.
SPUC comment
A SPUC spokesperson said: “The targeting of unborn babies with disabilities, especially Down’s syndrome, up to the point of birth, is disgraceful. The continued underreporting of such cases suggests that abortion providers seek to cover up this shameful reality.
“Abortion enables a fatal discrimination against individuals deemed ‘undesirable’ by society, which sends the message that the lives of the disabled are not worth living. While this targeting is not yet systematic, this wiping out of the weak by the strong is reminiscent of some of the worst atrocities of the twentieth century. This cannot be allowed to continue.”
