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Over half of mothers who had an abortion say it was due to the cost of childcare

Over half of mothers who have had an abortion in the last 12 months agreed that the cost of childcare was the “primary reason” for having an abortion, according to a new survey.

The charity Pregnant Then Screwed said that they worked in conjunction with Women In Data, to survey 35,800 parents from which a representative sample of 5,870 parents was extracted.

According to the findings of this survey, 52.5% of mothers who have had an abortion somewhat agree or absolutely agree with the statement “I believe that the cost of childcare was the primary reason for me to terminate a pregnancy”.

This is a slight decrease from a similar survey that Pregnant Then Screwed undertook in 2022 when they found 60.5% of women who had an abortion at some point in the prior five years said that the cost of childcare influenced their decision to have an abortion. In particular, 17.4% of women said that childcare costs were the main reason they chose to have an abortion.

These women do not want abortions, they just feel they have no other option

Additionally, as part of their most recent survey, the charity found that 85% of parents were concerned about the cost of childcare in relation to having more children and agreed with the statement “I tend to view childcare costs as prohibitive of having more children”.

Joeli Brearley, CEO and Founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, said “We’re running out of babies. The birth rate is in decline. But parents who want to have more children cannot afford to do so. Being a parent is tough enough, but when having more children means sacrificing your income, procreation feels like financial suicide. If we aren’t careful, becoming a parent will be a luxury item, and the economy can’t afford to pay that price”.

Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said “It is desperately sad that any woman feels that she cannot have her baby because of the cost of childcare”.

“What this indicates is that many women do not want to have abortions nor to have fewer children but, contrary to the pro-abortion mantra, they feel they have no choice but to have an abortion. What the women who have an abortion for this reason need is support. They don’t need abortion”.

Dear reader,

You may be surprised to learn that our 24-week abortion time limit is out of line with the majority of European Union countries, where the most common time limit for abortion on demand or on broad social grounds is 12 weeks gestation.

The latest guidance from the British Association of Perinatal Medicine enables doctors to intervene to save premature babies from 22 weeks. The latest research indicates that a significant number of babies born at 22 weeks gestation can survive outside the womb, and this number increases with proactive perinatal care.

This leaves a real contradiction in British law. In one room of a hospital, doctors could be working to save a baby born alive at 23 weeks whilst, in another room of that same hospital, a doctor could perform an abortion that would end the life of a baby at the same age.

The majority of the British population support reducing the time limit. Polling has shown that 70% of British women favour a reduction in the time limit from 24 weeks to 20 weeks or below.

Please click the button below to sign the petition to the Prime Minister, asking him to do everything in his power to reduce the abortion time limit.