What’s driving the huge rise in abortions?

Britain is experiencing a crisis of motherhood.

Ann Furedi
2nd February 2026

There has been a significant rise in the number of abortions carried out in England and Wales over the past few years. According to government statistics published at the start of the year, abortions increased by 11 per cent in 2023 compared with 2022. This follows on from a 17 per cent increase in abortions in 2022 compared with 2021.

It’s true that abortion numbers have been climbing steadily since the mid-1990s. But it certainly looks as if the numbers have risen sharply in the 2020s. Despite some attempts to play these figures down, this is a hugely significant increase.

Continued; https://www.spiked-online.com/2026/02/02/whats-driving-the-huge-rise-in-abortions/

02.02.2026

Opinion

Ann Furedi

contraception myths

fear of contraception

increase in abortion rates

BPAS calls on the government to “prioritise women’s health” following an unprecedented demand for abortions

BY SUSANNE NORRIS
June 1, 2024

Demand for abortions hit a record high in 2022, according to new figures. Now, leading abortion service providers are calling on the next government to prioritise women’s health services amid the ongoing cost of living crisis – highlighting the “finite resources” that GPs and sexual health clinics are currently working with.

The latest statistics on access to abortion care across England and Wales have recently been released. The figures, which account for all of 2022, report that 251,377 abortions were carried out that year – the highest number since the Abortion Act was introduced and an increase of 17% on the previous year. The data also reveals a huge socio-economic disparity, with those living in the most deprived areas of England almost twice as likely to have an abortion than those living in the least deprived areas.

Continued: https://www.stylist.co.uk/news/politics/abortion-cost-of-living-women/891301

01.06.2024

Bpas

British Pregnancy Advisory Service

Heidi Stewart

increase in abortion rates

MSI Reproductive Choices

Scotland – Doctors warn about social media link to abortion rise

Sept 5, 2023
By Katie McEvinney, BBC Scotland news

Misinformation about contraception on social media may be contributing to Scotland's record high abortion figures, doctors have told the BBC.

The number of terminations carried out in Scotland rose by almost a fifth between 2021 and 2022. For the first time in 14 years, the number of 16 to 19-year-olds accessing abortion services also increased.

There are concerns this is being driven in part by false and misleading information on apps such as TikTok.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-66671765

05.09.2023

News

British Pregnancy Advisory Service

Dr Sinead Cook

increase in abortion rates

Requests for abortions in Israel at record high, report says

Central Bureau of Statistics data show 99.5% of requests to terminate pregnancy approved in 2021; 50.1% of applications made by married women, 6.8% by women under 19

Nina Fox
Jan 17, 2023

Requests for abortions in Israel have reached a record high in 2021, says a new Central Bureau of Statistics report published Tuesday.

According to the report, the Health Ministry's pregnancy termination committee had received 16,591 requests to terminate pregnancies, meaning 7.7 out of every 1,000 Israeli women between the ages 15-49 had sought an abortion throughout the year, same as in 2020.

Continued: https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/r1115teesj

17.01.2023

Featured

News

abortion statistics

increase in abortion rates

Israel

Middle East

Health

Two-child benefit cap influencing women’s decisions on abortion, says BPAS

Charity says policy was important factor in many deciding to terminate pregnancies during the pandemic

Patrick Butler Social policy editor
Thu 3 Dec 2020

The controversial “two-child limit” restricting the amount that larger families can receive in social security benefits was a key factor in many women’s decisions to terminate their pregnancy during the pandemic, according to a leading abortion charity.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) said over half of the women it surveyed who had an abortion during the pandemic, and who were aware of the two-child limit and likely to be affected by it, said the policy was “important in their decision-making around whether or not to continue the pregnancy.”

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/dec/03/two-child-limit-on-benefits-a-key-factor-in-many-abortion-decisions-says-charity

03.12.2020

Bpas

British Pregnancy Advisory Service

increase in abortion rates

Jonathan Reynolds

Katherine O’Brien

two-child benefit cap

Abortions in England and Wales reach record high

Abortions in England and Wales reach record high
Particularly sharp rise among women aged 30-34, but fewer teenagers are having procedure

Denis Campbell, Health policy editor
Published on Thu 11 Jun 2020

A record number of women in England and Wales had an abortion last year, and numbers rose particularly sharply among women aged 30 and over.

A total of 207,384 procedures were carried out, official figures show, the highest number in a year since the historic vote in 1967 to legalise abortion in Britain through the Abortion Act.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/11/abortions-in-england-and-wales-reach-record-high

11.06.2020

British Pregnancy Advisory Service

Clare Murphy

increase in abortion rates

Jonathan Lord

Marie Stopes UK

Society for the Protection of Unborn Children

The unintended consequences of US global abortion policy

The unintended consequences of US global abortion policy
Trump's funding ban leads to more abortions

By Nina Brooks, Eran Bendavid, and Grant Miller
Wed July 3, 2019
(Also video, 05:07)

(CNN)Few public policy issues are as divisive as abortion -- and to think that all sides could agree on even one aspect would seem naive. But based on our analysis of global data spanning two decades, we argue that there could yet be such an instance if we were to take the evidence seriously.

Our findings published in The Lancet Global Health last Thursday suggest that a major US global abortion policy has striking, important, and unintended consequences in sub-Saharan Africa.

Continued: https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/03/opinions/us-global-abortion-policy-brooks-bendavid-miller/index.html

Global gag rule linked to abortion rise in African countries that accept US aid

Global gag rule linked to abortion rise in African countries that accept US aid
Study finds Trump-backed policy led to increase in pregnancies and reduction in use of modern contraceptives

Miranda Bryant in New York
Thu 27 Jun 2019

A US government policy that restricts funding to organisations that conduct or support abortions has been linked to a 40% increase in terminations in African countries that depend on American foreign aid, according to new research.

The study, published on Thursday in The Lancet Global Health, also found that implementation of the policy resulted in a reduction of the use of modern contraceptives and an increase in pregnancies.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/jun/27/global-gag-rule-africa-abortion-study

USA – Study: U.S. Ban On Aid To Foreign Clinics That ‘Promote’ Abortion Upped Abortion Rate

Study: U.S. Ban On Aid To Foreign Clinics That 'Promote' Abortion Upped Abortion Rate

June 27, 2019
Nurith Aizenman

When it comes to sending U.S. aid to poor countries, every Republican president from Ronald Reagan through Donald Trump has imposed a rule: Foreign aid groups are prohibited from getting U.S. assistance for family planning unless they promise not to "perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning." That includes providing patients with referrals or information about the procedure, even if those activities are funded by non-U.S. government sources. (Trump's version of the funding ban has gone even further — applying to aid for virtually all global health services, not just family planning.)

Continued: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/06/27/736574110/study-u-s-ban-on-aid-to-foreign-clinics-that-promote-abortion-upped-abortion-rat

Abortions rise worldwide when US cuts funding to women’s health clinics, study finds

Abortions rise worldwide when US cuts funding to women’s health clinics, study finds

Yana Rodgers
March 27, 2019

Advancing Republican efforts to reduce access to abortion, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on March 26 that the Trump administration will further restrict federal funding to health providers abroad that perform, promote or even talk about abortions.

The move expands the “global gag rule” Trump imposed in 2017. It substantially expands the number of groups affected by cutting funding to any organization with a foreign partner that provides abortions – even if those overseas groups are not, themselves, U.S. government-funded.

Continued: http://theconversation.com/abortions-rise-worldwide-when-us-cuts-funding-to-womens-health-clinics-study-finds-112491