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Five teenagers among over 700 women who had at least their sixth abortion last year – calls made for parental notification law

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.”

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Dear reader,

Despite the Leadbeater assisted-suicide Bill passing its Third Reading on 20 June, it scraped through by just 23 votes (314-291) after enjoying a 55-vote majority at Second Reading. Had 12 more MPs switched sides, the Bill would be dead. It now limps into the Lords with a wafer-thin majority, where peers can amend, delay or reject it outright.

THE CHALLENGE

Dignity in Dying, My Death My Decision and Humanists UK have poured millions into pushing assisted suicide and will fight hard to stop the Lords overturning the Bill.

At the same time, the Antoniazzi abortion-up-to-birth amendment, passed by MPs in June, also heads to the Lords. If it becomes law, it would no longer be illegal for women to perform their own abortions for any reason – including sex-selective purposes – and at any point up to and during birth.

We will be up against the UK’s largest abortion providers, BPAS and MSI Reproductive Choices (formerly Marie Stopes), who are expected to push for even more extreme changes to our abortion laws in the Lords.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

Thousands of vulnerable lives are now at stake. Battling these two threats is the biggest and most expensive effort in our history, and has drained our limited resources. To fight effectively on both fronts, we aim to raise £200,000 by midnight this Sunday (13 July 2025).

Every donation, large or small, will help protect lives, and UK taxpayers can add 25p to every £1 through Gift Aid at no extra cost.

Will you make a donation now to help protect vulnerable lives from these major threats?

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to protect vulnerable lives

Help stop three major anti-life threats.

Help fight major assisted suicide and abortion up to birth threats.