Pro-life groups have urged the government to scrap its “horrific” DIY home abortion policy as official data shows a 17 percent surge in the number of abortions carried out in England and Wales.
According to the latest figures from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), 123,219 abortions were carried out between January and June 2022, up from 105,488 over the same period in 2021.
Right To Life UK described the figures as a “national tragedy,” and Christian Concern said it “equates to over 680 abortions every day—over 28 lives ended every single hour.”
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS)—a leading abortion provider—blamed the surge on the rising cost of living, and urged the government to offer easier access to abortion without “clinically unnecessary” consultations.
Pills-by-Post
Of all abortions carried out between January and June 2022, medical abortion—carried out by taking abortion pills—accounted for 86 percent.Some 54 percent of the abortions took place entirely at home, part of the DIY home abortion scheme introduced during the COVID-19 lockdown, which allows abortion pills to be sent in the post and taken without supervision.
The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), a British pro-life campaigning and educational organisation, blamed the surging abortion numbers on “the UK’s catastrophic abortion policy.”
Case of Baby Lily
Robinson called the policy “reckless” and blamed it for the “tragic death” of Baby Lily, an unborn child killed by her mother at home with illegally-obtained abortion pills, when she was between 32-34 weeks gestation.Her mother, Carla Foster, obtained abortion-inducing drugs in the post from BPAS, after she called them during lockdown in 2020 and lied about how far along in her pregnancy she was.
SPUC said it is urging lawmakers to “remove this horrific policy before it harms more women and ends the lives of more babies.”
‘National Tragedy’
Right To Life UK, another pro-life group, said pro-abortion campaigners led by BPAS “cynically use the tragic case of the death of Baby Lily” to call for the full decriminalisation of abortion, which “would permit abortion for any reason up to birth.”The group’s spokesperson Catherine Robinson called the surge in abortions a “national tragedy,” adding, “It seems this tragic number of lives being lost to abortion is not enough for abortion campaigners and they are set on doing everything they can to introduce extreme abortion legislation that would likely see even more lives lost to abortion.”
She called for the reinstatement of in-person appointments before abortions take place, adding that Baby Lily would still be alive if her mother had been given an in-person appointment.
She also called for a full inquiry into BPAS for sending out abortion pills to Baby Lily’s mother when the baby was 22 weeks beyond the legal limit for at-home abortions.
A DHSC spokesperson said: “Ensuring women can continue to access safe and high-quality abortion services remains a priority.
“The department continues to provide funding for contraception as an essential service through the GP Contract and Public Health Grant, including free contraception and expanded access to online services. In addition, we recently announced £25 million to create more women’s health hubs, to improve access to services such as contraception, as part of our Women’s Health Strategy.”
