§ Miss Holtasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many aborted children in the 12 months ended 30th October 1973 were living after being aborted.
§ Sir K. JosephThe information requested is not available. It remains the overriding responsibility of medical staff to promote and preserve the life of a child that survives an abortion.
§ Mrs. Monksasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what extra cost has been incurred by the health service as a result of abortions to (a) British citizens, and (b) aliens, respectively.
§ Sir K. JosephSeparate costing figures are not available in respect of the treatment of different medical and surgical conditions. Non-residents are not normally eligible for such treatment under the National Health Service.
§ Mrs. Monksasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many National Health Service hospital beds are being occupied as a result of abortions, and for how long.
§ Sir K. JosephDetails of bed occupancy and duration of stay are available550W in respect of both therapeutic abortions—those induced legally, for medical reasons—and other abortions which include spontaneous abortions ("miscarriages"), illegal and unclassified abortions, for 1972 as follows:
Therapeutic Other Average number of beds occupied daily 630.3 532.7 Mean length of stay (days) 4.3 3.3 Abortion as a percentage of all gynaecology beds 7.3 6.2 per cent. per cent. Abortion per 1,000 N.H.S. beds 1.7 1.5 Patients being treated for abortions of all kinds thus occupy 13.5 per cent. of all National Health Service gynaecology beds in 1972.
Comparable figures for the previous 10 years are as follows:
(Therapeutic abortions under the Abortion Act 1967, are shown in brackets):
1962 12.6 1963 11.9 1964 12.0 1965 11.5 1966 11.5 1967 11.1 1968* 13.2 (4.9) 1969 14.8 (7.4) 1970 16.2 (8.9) 1971 14.7 (8.5) * The Abortion Act came into force on 27th April 1968. Bed occupancy for those therapeutic abortions occurring before the Abortion Act 1967 are not separately available.