§ Mr. Barry FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total number of abortions under the Abortion Act 1967 performed in England and Wales in 1991; what information is available about the number of such abortions at 25 weeks and over; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. SackvilleThe total was 179,522 compared with 186,912 in 1990, an overall decrease of 4 per cent.
A total of 60 abortions were notified in England and Wales in 1991 at 25 weeks or more, of which eight were in the first quarter before the law on abortion changed on 1 April 1991. A more detailed analysis of these is as follows:
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Number of weeks gestation Number of abortions 25 18 26 17 27 9 28 6 29 5 30 2 31 1 33 1 36 1 Since 1 April 1991, for all terminations performed after the pregnancy had exceeded 24 weeks, the operating surgeon has been required to provide a full statement of the medical condition of the pregnant woman-foetus.
Of the 52 abortions performed at over 24 weeks between 1 April and 31 December 1991, one was under ground A—that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant woman greater than if the pregnancy were terminated—and the remaining 51 were under ground E—that there is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped.
Of the ground E cases, 43 per cent. were central nervous system abnormalities, 22 per cent. were genetic abnormalities, 17 per cent. were multiple system abnormalities, 11 per cent. were renal abnormalities and 7 per cent. were cardiac abnormalities. Examinations of the notification forms in respect of these ground E cases confirms that severe abnormalities had been diagnosed as present in all the foetuses.
It is our intention to publish similar information about post-24-week abortions on a routine basis in the annual Office of Population Censuses and Surveys publication "Abortion Statistics". It will not, for reasons of confidentiality, be possible to give more detailed information.
§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she has taken in the case referred to her by the hon. Member for Congleton in her letter of 22 June about midwives seeking to exercise their conscientious objection to participation in abortion; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. SackvilleThe letter referred to was received on 23 June. It is being considered and a reply will be sent as soon as possible.
§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she is taking to prevent hospital managers taking disciplinary action against nursing and midwifery personnel who seek to exercise a conscientious objection to being involved in preparing women for abortion; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. SackvilleWe have no reason to believe the current arrangements for conscientious objections are not in general working well. The Department has received very few letters on this subject. With goodwill and sensitive management it should be possible to overcome any difficulties for people with genuine conscientious objection to abortion without recourse to administrative action or further legislation.
§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she will now make it her policy to consult with interested parties with a view to reviewing the conscience clause of the Abortion Act 1967.
§ Mr. SackvilleWe have no plans to do so.
§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is given by her Department about the right of general practitioners conscientiously to object to making arrangements for abortions when they do not believe it is in the best interests of their patients; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. SackvilleA doctor should always act in the best interests of his/her patients. Section 4 of the Abortion Act 439W 1967 sets out the position which applies to GPs who have a conscientious objection to participation in treatment authorised under that Act.
§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is given by her Department about the right of general practitioners under the terms of the Abortion Act 1967 conscientiously to object to(a) prescribing the morning after pill and (b) fitting intra-uterine contraceptive devices on the basis that they may function as abortifacients; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. SackvilleThere is no obligation on GPs to provide contraceptive services if they do not wish to do so.
§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is given by her Department about the right of(a) midwives and nurses and (b) laboratory and other technicians under the terms of the Abortion Act 1967 conscientiously to object (i) to the taking of blood specimens and (ii) the processing of test results, respectively, which will lead to mothers being offered abortions if they are carrying babies with a minor handicap; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. SackvilleBefore decisions can be taken about any treatment or care, the full diagnostic process needs to be completed. In the case of pregnancy, if a serious problem is diagnosed, there will be a number of options to be considered. They may or may not include abortion. It must be in the best interests of all concerned that any decisions are made in the light of the fullest possible range of information. The expectation must therefore be that professional staff with the relevant experience will be involved in the diagnostic tests, to which an individual patient has consented, irrespective of the outcome.
§ Mr. DayTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the total number of abortions performed in the Stockport health authority under the Abortion Act 1967 since its implementation; and how many and what percentage of these abortions were performed in emergency to save the life of the mother.
§ Mr. Sackville[holding answer 15 June 19921: The number of abortions carried out in Stockport district health authority (DHA) is not released for reasons of confidentiality. However, 7,182 abortions have been performed, under the Abortion Act 1967, on residents of Stockport DHA during the period 1 January 1983 to 30 September 1991. The period in question refers to the first complete year for which data were collected for the Stockport DHA since its constitution on I April 1982, and to the latest date for which figures are available. None of these abortions was performed in an emergency "to save the life of the pregnant woman" (ground 5).
§ Mr. BowisTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions have been carried out under the Abortion Act 1967, since its coming into force, in the South West Thames region and the Wandsworth district, respectively; and how many and what percentage of these were carried out in an emergency to save the life of the mother.
§ Mr. Sackville[holding answer 17 June 1992]: A total of 209,785 abortions have been performed, under the Abortion Act 1967, in the South West Thames regional 440W health authority (RHA) for the period 1 January 1975 to 30 September 1991. The period in question refers to the first complete year for which data were collected for the South West Thames RHA since its constitution on 1 April 1974, and to the latest date for which figures are available. Of these, three (0 per cent.) were performed in an emergency "to save the life of the pregnant woman" (ground 5).
The number of abortions carried out in Wandsworth district health authority (DHA) is not released for reasons of confidentiality. However, 13,199 abortions have been performed, under the Abortion Act 1967, on residents of Wandsworth DHA during the period 1 January 1983 to 30 September 1991. The period in question refers to the first complete year for which data were collected for the Wandsworth DHA since its constitution on 1 April 1982, and to the latest date for which figures are available. None of these abortions was performed in an emergency "to save the life of the pregnant woman" (ground 5).
§ Mr. CormackTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the total number of abortions performed in each district health authority in Birmingham under the Abortion Act 1967 since its implementation; and how many and what percentage of these abortions were performed in emergency to save the life of the mother.
§ Mr. Sackville[holding answer 18 June 1992]: The number of abortions carried out in each of the Birmingham district health authorities (DHAs) is not released for reasons of confidentiality. However, the numbers of abortions which have been performed, under the Abortion Act 1967, on residents of the Birmingham DHAs during the period 1 January 1983 to 30 September 1991 are listed in the table. The period in question refers to the first complete year for which data were collected for the Birmingham DHAs since the constitution on 1 April 1982, and to the latest date for which figures are available.
(1) Total number of abortions; (2) number and percentage of abortions performed in an emergency "to save the life of the pregnant woman" (ground 5), 1 January 1983 to 30 September 1991. Central, North. South, East and West Birmingham DHAs of residence.
Birmingham DHAs of residence Total Ground 5 Ground 5 as a percentage of the total Central1 6,153 1 0 North 5,226 0 0 South1 7,225 1 0 East 6,415 0 0 West 9,467 0 0 1 As Central and South Birmingham DHAs were merged in 1991, the numbers of abortions for these two authorities in 1991 are not included in the above table. In the newly formed DHA for the period 1 January to 30 September 1991 there was a total of 1,406 abortions, none of which was performed under ground 5.