HL Deb 13 December 1982 vol 437 cc469-70WA
Baroness Jeger

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many persons have been convicted for contravention of the Abortion Act 1967 since it became law.

Lord Elton

Annual information on the number of persons found guilty of procuring an illegal abortion is published in Criminal Statistics, England and Wales (offence classification 14 in Table S4.1(A) of the supplementary tables Volume 2, 1981). The total number in the period 27th April 1968 to 31st December 1981 was 247. Over the same period the corresponding number of persons cautioned was 124, making a total number of persons found guilty or cautioned of 371. Information on persons found guilty or cautioned is published annually in Criminal Statistics, England and Wales—Table 5.9 of the volume for 1981 (Cmnd. 8668).