HC Deb 21 February 1977 vol 926 cc428-9W
Mr. Biggs-Davison

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many legal abortions were performed in 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1976, respectively; how many of these were performed in the National Health Service; how many in the commercial private sector; and how many in approved places managed by registered charities.

Mr. Moyle

The numbers of abortions notified as carried out in England and Wales on resident and non-resident women are as follows:

tion of women counselled by the Pregnancy Advisory Service and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, respectively, in 1975 and 1976 were referred for termination of pregnancy; and what information he has concerning the propor- tion of women whose pregnancies were too advanced for termination.

Mr. Moyle

The Pregnancy Advisory Service (PAS) and British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) are not required to notify this information to my Department. However, I understand that information on the numbers of women counselled who went on to have an abortion with the organisations concerned is published in "Abortion Today" by BPAS and is available on request from both organisations. I understand that the figures in 1975 were 90 per cent. (PAS) and 94 per cent. (BPAS). The information

ABORTIONS PERFORMED AT 20 WEEKS GESTATION OR OVER ON WOMEN USUALLY RESIDENT IN ENGLAND AND WALES
Statutory grounds
Year Total 1 alone or with 2 to 4 2 alone 3 alone or with 2 or 4 4 alone or with 2 5 or 6
1968 (Part) … … 699 Not available
1969 … … 1,172
1970 … … 953
1971 … … 847 37 592 157 54 7
1972 … … 846 28 642 122 49 5
1973 … … 975 32 731 146 61 5
1974 … … 903 30 707 106 57 3
1975 … … 971 25 778 90 75 3
1968–75 … … 7,366

Later figures are not yet available.

Statutory grounds as listed in Schedule 2 of the Abortion Regulations 1968:—

  1. 1. Risk to life of woman.
  2. 2. Risk of injury to physical or mental health of woman.
  3. 3. Risk of injury to physical or mental health of existing child(ren).
  4. 4. Substantial risk of child being born abnormal.
  5. 5. In emergency—to save life of woman.
  6. 6. In emergency—to prevent grave permanent injury to physical or mental health of woman