by James Tapsfield, Daily Mail
Around a third of conceptions now end in abortion, according to stark figures released today.
Some 32.1 per cent of pregnancies were terminated in 2023, up from 29.7 per cent the previous year and the highest proportion on record for England and Wales. In 2010 the level was just 20.8 per cent.
The 32,000 spike in abortions year-on-year – to 279,970 – almost completely accounted for an overall increase in conceptions, from 834,260 in 2022 to 871,050 in 2023.
As a result the number of maternities – conceptions resulting in births – barely changed.
The shift came despite another decline in teenage pregnancies, the age group that is most likely to opt for a termination.
The reasons for the striking increase are unclear. The Office for National Statistics pointed to ‘scares’ about the safety of the contraceptive pill, suggesting that could have led to people using less reliable methods.