Mr. Gresham Cookeasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, to what extent the certificates signed by medical practitioners under the Abortion Regulation 1968 in relation to terminal operations performed at the seven private clinics, which have been given approval for two months only, have been inspected by officers of his Department; and whether these disclose an unusual predominance of any one of the four reasons for termination.
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§ Mr. CrossmanMy officers have no right to call for production of these certificates; but statistical analysis by the Registrar General of the confidential notifications sent to the Chief Medical Officer shows that the predominant ground for termination, here as in the country as a whole, was that the continuance of the pregnancy would have involved risk of injury to the physical or menal health of the pregnant woman greater than if the pregnancy were terminated.