§ 33. Mrs. L. Jegerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were prosecuted in the last convenient annual period for carrying out, or conniving at, attempts to procure abortion; what were the results; and how many of the persons charged were registered medical practitioners, nurses, or midwives.
§ Mr. R. A. ButlerAs the answer contains a number of figures, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Mrs. JegerCan the Home Secretary say whether, in the first place, the figures are showing a tendency to go up or down; and secondly, whether he is satisfied that the law on this very difficult subject is really in keeping with modern social thinking and medical practice?
§ Mr. ButlerThe actual figures, as the hon. Lady will see, are given only for 1956, so I would have to send her a comparison with previous years.
§ Following are the figures:
§ In 1956 in England and Wales 51 persons went for trial for offences under Sections 58 and 59 of the Offences against the Person Act, 1861. The results were as follows:
| Males | Females | |
| Acquitted | 3 | 2 |
| Conditional Discharge | 1 | 3 |
| Recognizances | 4 | 5 |
| Probation | — | 3 |
| Fine | 1 | 1 |
| Imprisonment: | ||
| Males | Females | |
| For 6 months and under | — | 1 |
| For over 6 months and up to 1 year | 1 | 7 |
| For over 1 year and up to 2 years | 1 | 8 |
| For over 2 years and up to 3 years | 2 | 6 |
| For over 3 years and up to 4 years | 1 | 1 |
| Total imprisonment | 5 | 23 |
| TOTAL | 14 | 37 |
§ In addition, a boy of 16 was dealt with by a juvenile court and put on probation. The figures do not include any persons who may have been convicted of offences under sections 58 and 59 at the same time as a more serious offence.
§ I regret that no information is available about the professions or occupations of the persons covered by this Answer.