§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions have now been performed in total under the provisions of the Abortion Act 1967; and how many and what percentage of those abortions were performed in an emergency to save the life the mother.
§ Mr. Sackville[holding answer 17 February 1995]: Up to 31 December 1992, a total of 3,911,680 abortions had been performed in Great Britain under the Abortion Act 1967, as amended by section 37 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, since its implementation. Of these, the number performed in emergency and certified by the operating practitioner as immediately necessary to "save the life of the pregnant woman"—ground 5 prior to April 1991, ground F subsequently—was 154, or 0.004 per cent.