§ Sir Graham BrightTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the statistically most likely candidate for an abortion within the Anglia and Oxford region after the 24th week of pregnancy in the latest year for which figures are available in terms of(a) the age of the woman, (b) marital status of the woman, (c) the number of previous children of the woman and (d) the grounds on which the abortion is performed. [38028]
§ Mr. HoramThe statistically most likely candidate for an abortion for each of the variables listed is the category with the highest recorded frequency of legal terminations. The percentages are based on all legal terminations in the Anglia and Oxford region in 1993.
The categories with the highest frequencies found in each of the variables were:
age of the woman 30 to 34 age group comprised 46 per cent. 6 of all post-24th week gestation terminations;marital status of the woman; married women comprised 85 per cent. 11 of all post-24th week gestation terminations;number of previous children of the woman; women with no previous live and still born children comprised 53.8 per cent. of (7) of all post-24th week gestation terminations; andlegal grounds under the abortion is performed; statutory ground E alone comprised 100 per cent. (13) of all post-24th week gestation terminations. Ground E is defined as meaning 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.
§ Sir Graham BrightTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the statistically most likely candidate for an abortion within the Anglia and Oxford region in the latest year for which figures are available in terms of(a) the age of the woman, (b) marital status of the woman, (c) the number of previous children of the woman and (d) the grounds on which the abortion is performed. [38027]
§ Mr. HoramThe statistically most likely candidate for an abortion for each of the variables listed is the category with the highest recorded frequency of legal terminations. The percentages are based on all legal terminations in the Anglia and Oxford region in 1993.
The categories with the highest frequencies found in each of the variables were:
age of the woman: 20 to 24 age group comprised 28.7 per cent. (3,397) of all terminations;marital status of the woman: single women comprised 62.2 per cent. (7,356) of all terminations;114Wnumber of previous children of the woman: women with no previous live and still born children comprised 54.8 per cent. (6,483) of all terminations;legal grounds under which the abortion is performed: statutory ground C alone comprised 91.5 per cent. (10,821) of terminations. Ground C is defined as meaning that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman.