Official figures released today by the Department of Health show that the number of women having abortions in England and Wales has risen for the first time in three years. In total 189,574 abortions were performed in 2010, representing a 0.3% increase from 2009.
Marie Stopes International, the leading provider of independent sexual and reproductive health services was disappointed not to see a further reduction in numbers as we have seen in previous years. With improvements in contraception rates last year, these figures come as a particular surprise. We were pleased, however, to see that the under-18 abortion rate has reduced from 17.6 per 1,000 women in 2009 to 16.5 per 1,000 women in 2010.
Dr Paula Franklin, Director of Clinical Development at Marie Stopes International the leading independent provider of sexual and reproductive healthcare services, comments: "Although the numbers are similar to those of 2009, we are surprised not to see a further decrease in the number of abortions across England and Wales.
"Improved access to counselling and advice, through services like Marie Stopes International's OneCall, is allowing women to access a full range of information early. In 2010, 91% of abortions were carried out at under 13 weeks gestation, requiring a simpler procedure with fewer chances for complication and can reduce the stress and anxiety experienced by a woman in making what can be a difficult decision.
"At Marie Stopes International we are committed to providing women with the information, advice and services they need to make informed contraceptive choices. Unplanned pregnancies do of course still happen, and whilst we will always support a woman's access to safe abortion services, we want to be sure enough is being done to help avoid unplanned pregnancies in the first place. Taking a look at today's figures more closely, you can see that the number of under-18 abortions in England and Wales has fallen which we believe correlates with the increased uptake of contraception. From our own experience, as uptake of long acting forms of contraception has increased, we have seen a corresponding reduction in the number of repeat abortions with under 20 year olds.
"Although the rise is small, these abortion figures send a warning for the government's family planning strategy. There are three key areas that need to be focused on: education, access and choice. Education is absolutely vital for effective family planning. Through education, people are able to make informed choices and take control of their sexual and reproductive health. Marie Stopes International believes that comprehensive and standardised sex and relationship education should be delivered in all schools. Importantly though, we can all play a part in this: parents, teachers and trusted health providers like Marie Stopes International and the NHS. If we are to really help young people make informed decisions we have to encourage an open and non-judgemental attitude to talking about sex and relationships
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