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One in 3 Pregnancies Ends in Abortion

One in three pregnancies end in abortion, latest statistics for England and Wales reveal.

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on conception rates in 2023 have shown that while there has been an increase in pregnancies, a higher increase in abortions has led to fewer babies being born overall.

The ONS data reported that the number of babies aborted in 2023 was 279,970. This is an increase of 13 per cent from the previous year.

The ONS revealed that: “The percentage of conceptions leading to abortion reached a record high of 32.1% in 2023. This percentage has generally been increasing for all age groups since 2015”.

It noted the stark increase in abortion rates since the coronavirus pandemic: “The number of conceptions leading to abortion has increased by 35.2% since 2019, having previously been stable for more than a decade.”

During the pandemic, the Government introduced a temporary measure allowing women under ten weeks pregnant to access abortion pills at home without an in-person consultation with a medical professional. The measure was later made permanent.

The data also highlighted the impact of marriage on abortion rates, showing that babies are over three times more likely to be aborted if their parents are not married.*

Middle-Aged Men "Buying Babies"

More than 100 single men over the age of 40 applied to be recognised as fathers to babies born through surrogacy, The Times has revealed.

Data from the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service also showed a large increase in same-sex couples applying to be the legal parents of surrogate babies – almost three times more than a decade ago.

In 2019, single adults were given the same rights as couples to use a surrogate mother to have a baby. While commercial surrogacy is illegal in the UK, people are permitted to bring children born by a surrogate mother from countries abroad where the practice is allowed.

Surrogacy law expert Louisa Ghevaert claimed the data showed the “progressive and inclusive approach to surrogacy in the UK”.

However, Lexi Ellingsworth, co-founder of campaign group Stop Surrogacy Now, said: “The fact that the majority of single male applicants for a parental order in Britain are over 40 should prompt some probing questions about surrogacy. Children are not a lifestyle purchase and pregnancy and labour is not a service.”