Wales – Mum, 26, ‘wants to be sterilised’ due to problems accessing sickness drug

Jan 22, 2026
Kate Morgan, Wales community correspondent

A woman who almost terminated her second pregnancy because of severe sickness says sterilisation is now her best option due to difficulties accessing treatment.

Chloe, 26, said she couldn't face another pregnancy because of hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), which causes prolonged severe nausea and vomiting that may last until birth. Plaid Cymru MS Lindsay Whittle has called for better access to Xonvea - an anti-sickness medication which is not routinely available in Wales.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9wxvre2d4xo

22.01.2026

News

hyperemesis gravidarum

Abortions at record high in England and Wales ‘driven by cost of living’

Providers and doctors say lack of access to contraception another reason for the 11% rise in procedures in 2023

Hannah Al-Othman
Thu 15 Jan 2026

The rising cost of living and a lack of access to contraception have driven another rise in abortion rates in England and Wales, providers and doctors said.

Government statistics released on Thursday showed that abortions increased by 11% in 2023 compared with the previous year.

The age-standardised abortion rate for women was 23.0 abortions per 1,000 residents, the highest rate since the Abortion Act was introduced in 1967.

Continued; https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/15/abortions-record-high-england-wales-cost-of-living-contraception

15.01.2026

News

1967 Abortion Act

abortion rates in England

Dr Alison Wright

Katie Saxon

Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

Wales – Two women make the toughest choice imaginable. What happens next depends on where they live

There is a stark contrast in how women needing one key treatment are dealt with depending solely on whether they live in England or Wales

by Laura Butler
11 Jan 2026

Two women in Cardiff want abortions. One has a GP in England while the other’s is in Wales – and this difference determines whether they wait one day or three weeks.

Beda (not her real name), a 26-year-old Cardiff woman, got unexpectedly pregnant in January 2024. With her GP in the Welsh capital she went through Cardiff and Vale University health board. Four weeks later she had her abortion.

Continued: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/two-women-make-toughest-choice-33208096.amp

11.01.2026

Five Wins to Celebrate this International Safe Abortion Day

September 28 is International Safe Abortion Day, a chance to shine a light on the crucial role that accessible, quality abortion care plays in global health. These five wins for abortion rights are proof that a better future is not only possible—it’s already in the making.

Center for Reproductive Rights
09.26.2025

Abortion is one of the world’s most common health care services. It’s considered an essential service by the World Health Organization—and when carried out properly, it’s also a safe and simple one.

Almost 30% of all pregnancies end in abortions, and they happen all around the world: in places where they’re legal, restricted, and altogether banned. In fact, the legal status of abortion makes little difference in overall abortion rates.

Continued: https://reproductiverights.org/five-wins-international-safe-abortion-day-2025/

Number of abortions in England and Wales hit record high in 2022

Almost three in 10 conceptions ended in legal terminations, ONS figures show, as provider says women struggling to access contraception

Alexandra Topping
Wed 9 Jul 2025

The number of abortions in England and Wales reached a record high in 2022, with a leading provider stating that women are facing “significant barriers” in access to contraception.

Almost three in 10 conceptions ended in legal abortions in the two nations in 2022, up from about two in 10 a decade earlier, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/09/number-of-abortions-in-england-and-wales-hit-record-levels-in-2022

09.07.2025

News

abortion numbers

British Pregnancy Advisory Services

Katherine O’Brien

Office for National Statistics

Wales is UK worst for surgical abortions, says charity

June 13, 2025
Kate Morgan, Communities correspondent, BBC Wales News

Wales is the worst part of the UK for providing surgical abortions with many women treated in England, according to a leading healthcare charity.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) said it was "astonishing" Wales was behind Northern Ireland, where abortion was only decriminalised in 2019.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9890ld7dmjo

13.06.2025

News

Bpas

British Pregnancy Advisory Service

UK – Abortion laws are Victorian era, says grieving mum

June 4, 2025
Elen Wyn, Newyddion S4C

Women's bodies are still controlled by "Victorian era" laws, a mum has said, after police issued new guidelines which allow officers to search grieving women for abortion drugs.

Elen Hughes, from the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, whose baby was stillborn, called the guidance horrifying. They include allowing searches of mothers' mobile phones if a baby dies unexpectedly in the womb.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9wgqxl0ywjo

Inside the fight to decriminalise abortion in the UK

More than 50 MPs have backed an amendment to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales. But does it offer real change, and why is it being championed by those with anti-trans sentiments?

Halima Jibril
May 19, 2025

Last Wednesday (May 14), more than 50 cross-party MPs backed an amendment proposing to “decriminalise” abortion in England and Wales. Put forward by Welsh Labour Party MP, Tonia Antoniazzi, the amendment seeks to remove “women from criminal law related to abortion” and would mean “no offence is committed by a woman acting in relation to her own pregnancy”. MPs were set to vote on the amendment last summer, but parliament dissolved ahead of the 2024 general election.

The landscape of abortion in the UK is more complex than one might think. Abortion is technically “legal” in England, Scotland and Wales, and yet it is also a criminal offence. Below is an explainer on the 164-year-old law that makes abortion a criminal offence, what the amendment is fighting to change (and keep the same) and if activists and campaigners believe the amendment goes far enough in protecting people’s right to an abortion in the UK.

Continued: https://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/66834/1/inside-the-fight-to-decriminalise-abortion-in-the-uk-england-wales

UK – Abortion could be decriminalised in England and Wales

The 164-year-old law banning abortion was amended in 1967 and again in 1991

By Neil Shaw, Assistant Editor
11 MAR 2025

Proposals to remove criminal sanctions for abortion in England and Wales are expected to be revived by MPs trying to amend the Crime and Policing Bill. Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi (Gower) said women continue to be at risk of prosecution as the Commons heard 100 have been investigated by police in the last five years.

The 164-year-old law banning abortion was amended in 1967, legalising abortion with an authorised provider up to 28 weeks, which was later lowered to 24 weeks in 1991. There are very limited circumstances that allow an abortion after 24 weeks, such as when the mother’s life is at risk or the child would be born with a severe disability.

Continued: https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/abortion-could-decriminalised-england-wales-10011474

11.03.2025

News

1967 Abortion Act

Offence Against the Person Act

prosecuting women for abortion

UK – As protest ban starts, I spent day at abortion clinic

Oct 30, 2024
Emma Barnett, BBC Radio 4

When I arrive at an abortion clinic in south London, four protesters - three women and one man - are gathered on the opposite side of the road alongside a picture of the Virgin Mary, which is draped in rosary beads. They are silently mouthing prayers, and ask not to be interrupted.

Protesters outside abortion clinics, standing with signs - sometimes featuring graphic images of foetuses - have become a norm. This can be worrying and upsetting for some of the women going in for their procedure, who are sometimes approached by these individuals. The same is true for the healthcare staff working at the clinics.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7v3dlld58qo

30.10.2024