§ Jim DobbinTo ask the Secretary of State for Health for each of the maternal deaths associated with termination of pregnancy for the period 1991–1999,(a) under what section of the Abortion Act 1967 the termination of pregnancy was being performed; (b) at what stage of gestation the pregnancy was and (c) what the age of the mother was. [146478]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe following information, on the eight maternal deaths associated with termination of pregnancy for the period 1991–1999, has been taken from the relevant triennial Report on Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths in the United Kingdom. This is the only information available as after preparation of the Report, and before publication, all the maternal deaths report forms and related documents and files are destroyed.
Grounds for the abortion were stated only in the reports for one case, which said "foetal abnormalities incompatible with life."
The available information for gestation is shown in the table.
796W
Gestation Number of cases Weeks Under 10 2 10 to 12 1 13 to 19 3 20 plus 0 "early pregnancy" 1 "mid trimester" 1 For age, there were three references to "young woman", two for women in their "twenties" and one for a woman in her "thirties". In the other two cases, age was not stated.