UK: 56th anniversary of Abortion Act, 10,372,100 lives lost since 1967

UK: 56th anniversary of Abortion Act, 10,372,100 lives lost since 1967

10,372,100* unborn babies have lost their lives to abortion in England, Wales and Scotland since 1968 when the Abortion Act 1967 came into effect.

Saturday, 27 April, marked 56 years since the abortion law came into force.

In 2021, (the last full year for which abortion statistics are available) more than one baby was lost to abortion every two and a half minutes; 26 lives were ended every hour.

The number of abortions in England and Wales has reached a record high with 214,869 taking place in 2021, while in Scotland in 2022, there were a record 16,596 abortions, 2,659 more than in 2021 or a 19.08% increase from 13,937 in the previous year.

This significant rise in abortions in England and Wales has accompanied the introduction of ‘DIY’ home abortion services that have been operating in England and Wales since March 2020. Since ‘DIY’ home abortions were introduced, a number of significant problems have arisen.

Abortion statistics released by the Department of Health and Social Care show that in England and Wales, there was a total of 214,869 abortions in 2021, an increase of 4,009 abortions from 2020 when there were 210,860 abortions. This is the highest ever number on record.

Opinion polls repeatedly show that the public wants increased protections for unborn babies and more support for mothers facing unplanned pregnancies – rather than the wholesale removal of legal safeguards around abortion.

Only 1% of the population want abortion to be available up to birth and 70% of women want the abortion limit to be reduced to 20 weeks or lower.

*This figure is a projection for England, Wales and Scotland through to midnight on 27/4/2024 and has been calculated based on the following assumptions:

- This figure is a projection for England, Wales and Scotland through to midnight on 27/04/24
- The number of abortions per day in England & Wales will remain the same in 2024, 2023 and 2022 as in 2021.
- The number of abortions per day in Scotland will remain the same in 2024 and 2023 as in 2022.
- The rate of abortions throughout the year is evenly distributed.

 



 

 

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