There were 102,689 repeat abortions in England and Wales for residents in 2022 accounting for 40.85% of all abortions for residents in that year.
According to the 2022 annual abortion statistics for England and Wales released last week, repeat abortions in 2022, in which the woman undergoing the abortion had had one or more previous abortions, increased by 11,376 or 12.46% compared with the previous year.
Of those having repeat abortions in 2022, 20,947 had had two previous abortions, 5,214 had had 3 previous abortions and 109 women had had eight or more previous abortions, including two under the age of 18.
The data also reveals that there were 1,512 repeat abortions for women residents aged under 19.
The true number of repeat abortions that took place in England and Wales may be higher, as the data only records this information for residents of England and Wales, meaning non-residents who have a repeat abortion are not recorded.
The Integrated Care Board for NHS Mid and South Essex in the region of Thurrock reports the highest repeat abortion rate in the country with over half of all abortions in the region being repeat abortions.
Over a quarter of a million abortions
This increase in repeat abortions has accompanied a 17.34% increase in the total number of abortions, resulting in a record 252,122 abortions in England and Wales in 2022. This is the largest increase in the total number of abortions since 1972.
This significant rise in abortions has accompanied the second full year that at-home abortion services have been operating in England and Wales. Since home abortions were introduced, a number of significant problems have arisen.
Polling shows large majorities of women in the UK support a number of changes to abortion laws that would have a positive impact on lowering the number of abortions. The polling shows that 70% of women want the current time limit on abortion to be lowered and 91% of women want a ban on sex-selective abortion.
Polling published in the Daily Telegraph earlier this month shows that 71% of women support the reinstatement of in-person appointments and only 9% are in favour of the status quo. In contrast, only 16% of the public support current proposals to decriminalise abortion.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said “The significant increase in the proportion of abortions that are repeat abortions is deeply alarming. Over 100,000 unborn babies lost their lives just as at least one of their siblings did before them. This is a tragedy for unborn babies, their mothers and their families”.
“Ahead of the General Election, we are calling on the next Government to urgently bring forward new protections for unborn children and increased support for women with unplanned pregnancies. Polling shows these changes are backed by the public and this would ensure we are working together as a society to reduce the tragic number of lives that are lost to abortion each year”.
