Last year, five teenagers were among hundreds of UK women who had at least their sixth abortion a Freedom of Information request has revealed.
Overall, 84,258 repeat abortions were performed in Britain in 2018, including 3,332 on teenagers – with the overall figure up 7% on 2017 and an 11% rise on 2016.
Pro-life campaigners have called upon political party leaders to urgently commit to introducing parental notification legislation in the next Parliament.
Data released by the Department of Health for England and Wales and NHS Scotland under the Freedom of Information Act revealed that:
- 143 women had an abortion last year having previously had seven or more terminations – a 19% increase on 2017 and a 27% rise on 2016
- 172 women had their seventh abortion in 2018 – a 26% increase on 2016
- 403 women had their sixth termination – 10% up on 2017 and a 33% increase on 2016
- 1,298 women – including five teenagers – had their fifth abortion in 2018
- 4,389 women – including 23 teenagers – had their fourth termination
Earlier in the year, the Department of Health released figures showing that the number of abortions for residents of England and Wales was the highest number ever in 2018 at 200,608.
The figures do not include Northern Ireland where Europe’s most extreme abortion has been imposed upon the province.
A spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson said:
“This election we are calling on party leaders to commit to urgently introduce parental notification legislation in the next Parliament.
“Polling shows a large majority of parents want a law change on this. It’s now time for Parliament to begin steps to introduce a parental notification law that will ensure that parents are involved in what can be one of the biggest decisions of their child’s lives.
“As a parent, I understand why parents around the country are shocked that their child can be taken away to an abortion clinic for a secret abortion without parents being involved. To hear that five teenagers have had at least six abortions shows that this legislation is urgently needed in the UK.
“The abortion industry cannot be trusted to take the place of parents to know what is in the best interests of their child. As we have seen from Care Quality Commission reports, abortion facilities have been found to have a vested interest in girls undergoing abortions.
“This highlights the lack of legal protections in place to protect vulnerable girls, under the age of consent, and the fact that parents have no legal right to be informed or consulted about their child’s abortion.
“This also highlights the ridiculous scenario here in the UK where a girl aged under 16 needs parental consent to take a paracetamol pill at school but does not need any parental consent for her school nurse to take her off to an abortion clinic to terminate her pregnancy.“
“A ComRes poll, conducted in 2017, showed that 70% of parents agree that parental or guardian consent should be required for girls aged 15 or under to undergo an abortion.”
Pro-life charity Life said the figures were “extremely alarming but hardly surprising given the increasingly easy access to abortion”.
The charity’s director of advocacy Liz Parsons told Sky News: “Women having repeat abortions, especially young people, would suggest there are underlying problems leading to unplanned pregnancies which are not resolved by putting women on the abortion conveyor belt.”
