§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the total number of discharges from hospitals of patients who have undergone abortions for each of the years 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 and 1975.
§ Dr. Owen,pursuant to his reply[OFFICIAL REPORT, 26th April 1976; Vol. 910, c. 51–2], circulated the following additional information:
The numbers of abortions notified as carried out in National Health Service hospitals in England and Wales were as follows:
86W
1971 53,706 1972 57,086 1973 55,637 1974 (provisional) 55,859 1975 (provisional) 51,825 These figures correspond broadly with the estimated totals, based on the sample reported in the hospital in-patient inquiry of discharges from National Health Service hospitals following induced abortion. In addition, the inquiry indicates that there are annually some 60,000 other spells of in-patient treatment relating to abortion not specified as induced, most of which are likely to follow readmission or relate to spontaneous abortion.