§ 35. Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what evidence he has of any abuse of the provisions of the Abortion Act 1967; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Harry EwingMost of the abuses which gave cause for concern in the immediate aftermath of the 1967 Act related to the private sector which in Scotland was and remains negligible since 98 per cent. of all abortions are carried out in NHS hospitals.
§ Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the number of abortions performed in NHS hospitals and elsewhere in Scotland in each of the last 10 years.
§ Mr. Harry EwingThe table below gives the number of abortions notified as having been carried out in Scotland since the Abortion Act 1967 came into effect during 1968:
The figures for 1976 are provisional.
Year National Health Service Hospitals Private establishments approved by the Secretary of State under Section 1 of the Abortion Act 1967 Total 1968 (part) 1,493 44 1,537 1969 … 3,475 69 3,544 1970 … 5,178 76 5,254 1971 … 6,248 84 6,332 1972 … 7,501 99 7,600 1973 … 7,410 88 7,498 1974 … 7,413 132 7,545 1975 … 7,148 152 7,300 1976 … 7,003 179 7,182