London, England, Jun 15, 2021 / 06:05 am
A record number of abortions took place in England and Wales in 2020, according to new statistics.
The figures, released June 10, showed that there were 210,860 abortions last year, the highest number since the Abortion Act 1967 was introduced.
A pro-life group said that the figure — an increase of 1,341 from the previous peak in 2019 — marked “a devastating surge” in abortions after the government allowed women in England to complete medical abortions at home in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Michael Robinson of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) said: “This year’s figures show a devastating surge in abortion numbers. The statistics reveal a catastrophic loss of unborn life arising from the government’s dangerous policy on abortion.”
The statistics, published by the Department of Health and Social Care, indicated that 3,083 abortions took place in 2020 on grounds of disability.
The charity Right to Life UK said that 693 of these abortions were due to Down syndrome, an increase from 656 in 2019.
It added that there were also 35 abortions on the basis of cleft lip or cleft palate in 2020. Both conditions can be corrected by surgery.
The charity also said that 65 “selective termination” procedures took place, where doctors abort an unborn child carried by a mother expecting multiple babies.
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