Abortion rates hit record high with almost one in four pregnancies now being terminated

ABORTION rates are at a record high with almost one in four pregnancies now being terminated, figures show.

There were 839,043 conceptions in England and Wales in 2018 but roughly 201,360 — 24 per cent — were legally aborted.

1

In the previous year, conceptions were 847,204 and the abortion rate 22.7 per cent.

The percentage of pregnancies leading to abortion increased for every age group for the first time since 2013.

The biggest rise was among 20 to 24-year-olds (up 1.8 per cent) and the lowest was among under-16s (up 0.9 per cent).

More than half of pregnancies in under-18s were terminated.

MYTH BUSTER

Coronavirus myths – from taking Vitamin C to drinking water every 15 minutes

Exclusive

TRAVEL BUG

Four illegal immigrants found in lorry in Bedfordshire tested for coronavirus

SMOKE SCREEN

Smoking may increase coronavirus risk & suffer worse symptoms, experts warn

MUTATION

Coronavirus ‘mutated’ into TWO strains – and the most aggressive has infected 70%

DIRTY MONEY

Dirty banknotes may spread coronavirus – use contactless instead, WHO warns

NOT SO HANDY

Making own hand sanitiser won’t protect you against coronavirus, experts warn

Clare Murphy, of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, said: “We’ve seen an increasingly cautious approach to family size — likely to be driven by factors ranging from the two-child limit on benefits, to uncertainty about Brexit.

“Women of any age take the prospect of becoming a parent extremely seriously and want to achieve financial security, and ideally a home, before doing so.

“Today’s figures may reflect that reaching those goals is more difficult than ever.”