§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total number of maternal deaths following abortion since 1968, together with the causes of death.
§ Mr. SackvilleIn the period 1968 to 1987 a total of 98 maternal deaths related to legal abortion were recorded in England and Wales by the confidential inquiry into maternal deaths. Of these, 27 were due to embolism, 12 were due to haemorrhage and related conditions, 14 were associated with the use of anaesthetic, and the remaining 45 were attributed to various other causes. Full details are given in the reports of the confidential inquiry into maternal deaths, copies of which are available in the Library.