HC Deb 23 June 1989 vol 155 cc280-1W
Mr. Amess

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he has any plans to instigate any new studies into the nature and incidence of post-abortion syndrome; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Freeman

We await the report of a joint Royal College of General Practitioners/Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists study "Attitudes to Pregnancy". A large body of data from this United Kingdom study, which was funded by the Department, is currently undergoing careful analysis. I understand that the report should be available later this year.

Mr. Amess

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish in theOfficial Report a table showing the number of non-National Health Service abortions performed in each gestational week according to licensed clinic in 1987 and 1988.

Mr. Freeman

The table shows the readily available data. Details relating to numbers performed by individual licensed clinics cannot be released for reasons of confidentiality.

Number of abortions performed in non-NHS premises by gestation week to usual residents of England and Wales, 1987 and 1988
Gestation weeks 1987 Non-NHS 1Of which agency 1988 Non-NHS 1Of which agency
Under 9 38,879 2,283 42,387 2,709
9–12 35,637 4,346 42,544 5,096
13–14 4,493 539 4,940 597
15–16 2,430 258 2,795 277
17–18 2,659 384 3,237 436
19–20 1,446 189 1,766 196
21–22 779 31 1,007 27
23–24 413 9 510 15
25+ 2
Not stated 11 2 9 4
Total 86,749 8,041 99,195 9,357
1 These figures represent the operations carried out in the private sector on NHS patients.

Mr. Amess

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice his Department gives to women about the risks of abortion to their mental and physical health; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Freeman

This is a matter for the clinical judgment of the medical staff involved in the light of all the relevant facts about the woman's condition.

Mr. Amess

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the latest medical evidence available to him as to the earliest gestation age at which an unborn child may be capable of being born alive; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Freeman

The 22nd gestational week is considered by doctors to be the earliest time that there is the slightest possibility of a foetus being born alive, since before then the lungs are not mature enough to function even if ventilated. Between the 22nd and 24th week of gestation the chance of being born alive and the chance of surviving afterwards increase, but up to 24 weeks both are rare. Whether or not any particular foetus is capable of being born alive must be a matter for the clinical judgment of the doctor concerned in the full knowledge of the circumstances of the particular case.

Mr. Amess

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the procedure adopted by his Department in checking and approving abortion notification forms.

Mr. Freeman

All operating doctors are required to notify the chief medical officer, within seven days, of each abortion they perform. The detailed information in these forms is scrutinised by staff authorised by the chief medical officer to ensure that they do not indicate any contravention of the abortion law.

Mr. Amess

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he received in 1987 and 1988, respectively, on(a) abortion and (b) human embryo experimentation; how many were hostile to each of these practices; and what percentage the latter represents of the former.

Mr. Freeman

In 1987 and 1988 we received some 9,000 representations about abortion issues and 500 about human embryo experimentation. Most were from members of the public and the views expressed varied widely. Any analysis on the lines requested would involve disproportionate cost.