In 2004, for women resident in England and Wales:

* the total number of abortions was 185,400, compared with 181,600 in 2003, a rise of 2.1%

* the age-standardised abortion rate was 17.8 per 1,000 resident women aged 15-44 (17.5 in 2003)

* the abortion rate was highest, at 31.9 per 1000, for women in the 18-19 and 20-24 age groups

the under-16 abortion rate was 3.7 compared with 3.9 in 2003.

The under-18 rate was 17.8 compared with 18.2 in 2003

* 82% of abortions were funded by the NHS; of these, just over half (51%) took place in the independent sector under NHS contract

* 88% of abortions were carried out at under 13 weeks gestation; 60% were at under 10 weeks

* medical abortions accounted for 19% of the total compared with 17% in 2003

* 1,900 abortions (1%) were under ground E, risk that the child would be born handicapped

Non-residents:

* in 2004 there were 8,760 abortions for nonresidents carried out in hospitals and clinics in England and Wales (9,100 in 2003)

In using and releasing health statistics there is a risk, generally with small numbers, of identifying individuals. To address this, the Department of Health asked the National Statistician to provide it with guidelines for interpreting the National Statistics Code of Practice and associated protocols in the handling of health statistics across the health community, in a way that balances data confidentiality risks with the public interest in the use of the figures. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have published a report on disclosure guidance for abortion statistics and a further report giving guidance for all health statistics will be published in the Autumn of 2005. The report for abortions statistics can be found on the ONS website.

The 2004 Abortion Statistics bulletin applies the conclusions of the ONS disclosure review and guidance for abortion statistics. The guidance provides details on how to identify cells within tabulated statistics where the risks of a breach of confidentiality are unacceptable (“unsafe cells”). It then describes methods for reducing these risks.

For the bulletin, the risks identified have been reduced largely by redesigning tables. However, where table redesign proved to be impossible then suppression was applied to cells with fewer than 5 cases at National level or fewer than 10 cases at sub-national level and for highly sensitive variables such as gestation weeks by medical grounds. The same principles were also applied to tables showing rates and percentages.

Abortion Statistics from the Office for National Statistics

Commenting on the 2004 figures Anne Weyman, fpa (Family Planning Association) Chief Executive said:

“These figures highlight the urgent need to improve NHS contraceptive services. Greater investment is needed to improve access to services and train more health professionals in order to prevent unintended pregnancy. It’s also essential women and men know more about the full range of 14 contraceptive methods in order to protect their sexual health.”

“It is encouraging to see that there have been improvements to abortion services. More than ever are now being funded by the NHS (82% compared to 80% in 2003), and an increased number of women are having early abortions (56% of NHS funded abortions took place under 10 weeks compared to 52% in 2003) which also means more women have the choice of a medical rather than surgical abortion.”

“However, there are still improvements that could be made in terms of waiting times and service delivery and we would like to see these made an urgent priority at national level.”

For further information contact fpa’s press office 020 7923 5202/5201 or 07958 921060.

fpa (Family Planning Association) is the only registered charity working to improve the sexual health and reproductive rights of all people throughout the UK.

fpa

Abortion figures for England and Wales, released today, show an increase of 2.1% over last year’s figures.

Julie Millington, on behalf of the ProLife Alliance, comments:

‘Despite increased access to contraception, relentless sex education programmes, and easy availability of the abortifacient morning-after-pill, the abortion figures in England and Wales are climbing towards 200,000 a year and likely to continue to rise.

‘A colossal overall increase in numbers in the decades since abortion was decriminalised can be noted in one of the graphs in the statistics (Figure 1), where it shows that around 5 women per 1000 had abortions in the early years, compared to 17 per 1000 today.

‘We note too that the private abortion providers (Marie Stopes, BPAS, et al) have increased considerably their share of this grisly market, particularly as agents for the NHS, a share which they have tripled in the last ten years (see Figure 2). Their overall percentage when combined with private provision is now some 60% of the market. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that we saw them recently banding together against any restrictive reform of the Abortion Act. Their livelihood depends on abortion.

‘It is always unpleasant to scan chilling data on the suppression of pregnancy, and heartbreaking to see the totals as they climb year after year, knowing that each number represents a tiny human life that has been ended.

‘On this occasion, however, we are also concerned about the extremely worrying suppression of data in the current statistics, which so obviously comes in the wake of and as a response to the cleft-palate legal challenge. Information which was previously available has been withdrawn.

‘Why in an age when the Government continually preaches increased transparency and public accountability, is less detail about abortion now available than it was five years ago? Illegal abortion remains a criminal act and no attempts of any kind should be made to bury information relevant to assessment of correct practice in this area.’

Julia Millington
Political Director
ProLife Alliance
Tel: 020 7581 6939
Fax: 020 7581 3868
infoprolife
prolife

Thousands of documents Supreme Court nominee Judge John Roberts kept in his files from 1981 to 1982 that were released on Tuesday by the… National Archives and Records Administration include several references to Roe v. Wade — the 1973 Supreme Court case that struck down state abortion bans — but do not reveal his personal views on abortion rights, USA Today reports (Locy/Johnson, USA Today, 7/27). In one abortion-related reference, Roberts noted that most attendees at an October 1981 American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research conference “recognized a serious problem in the current exercise of judicial power” as demonstrated “by what is broadly perceived to be the unprincipled jurisprudence of Roe v. Wade” (Rosenbaum, New York Times, 7/27). However, the way the memo was written suggests he was attributing this perspective to a group of scholars at the conference, according to the Chicago Tribune (Zuckman et al., Chicago Tribune, 7/27). Some Senate Democrats have sought the release of the documents in an effort to determine Roberts’ personal views on such issues as abortion rights (USA Today, 7/27). Although little is known about Roberts’ views on abortion, some observers say he could tip the balance of the Supreme Court on the issue because retiring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was the deciding vote in several cases that upheld abortion rights. Although Roberts, who in 2003 was confirmed as a judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, has never written a legal opinion on the issue as a judge, he has argued as an attorney in several abortion-related cases. During his 2003 confirmation hearings for the federal judgeship, Roberts said the decision in Roe is “the settled law of the land” (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 7/26).

Gonzales Says Roberts Can Oppose Roe
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Tuesday clarified that if Roberts is confirmed to the Supreme Court, he would be allowed to vote to overturn Roe because the Supreme Court is not bound by precedent, the Washington Post reports (Eggen, Washington Post, 7/27). Gonzales said that although the legal right to abortion is established and settled among lower courts, a Supreme Court justice does not have to follow the court’s precedent on the issue if he or she believes the ruling was incorrect (Sherman, AP/Fox News, 7/27). Abortion-rights advocates criticized Gonzales’ remarks and said they indicate that Roberts is more conservative in his views than what has been portrayed by the Bush administration. However, Department of Justice spokesperson Tasia Scolinos said the remarks were intended to explain how the courts work and should not be interpreted to predict how Roberts would address potential Supreme Court cases, including abortion-related cases (Washington Post, 7/27).

“Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Abortion-rights advocates on Tuesday expressed their anger and disappointment that Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) vetoed legislation… (SB 2073/HB 1643) that would expand access to emergency contraception and declared his antiabortion stance and disapproval of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court case that struck down state abortion bans, the Boston Globe reports. Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey (R) also sought to distinguish herself from Romney, affirming that she supports abortion rights and expanded access to EC (Lewis, Boston Globe, 7/27). Healey earlier this month said she would encourage Romney to sign a measure that would broaden access to EC, but she did not explicitly endorse any legislation (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 7/25). However, Romney on Monday vetoed the measure, which would require hospital emergency departments to offer EC to rape survivors and allow pharmacists to dispense EC to women without a doctor’s prescription. Romney said signing the measure would have broken his 2002 campaign promise not to change state abortion law because he believes that EC causes abortions by preventing a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterine wall. During his 2002 campaign, Romney had suggested he would support wider access to EC, which can prevent pregnancy if taken within 72 hours of sexual intercourse (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 7/26). Healey said she supports Roe and urged Romney to sign the EC measure, but she added that she knew Romney might “come out differently” on the EC legislation, adding, “I gave him my advice and counsel, and he chose to go in a different direction.” Nancy Luther — a Republican state committee member and member of Republican Majority for Choice, which endorsed Romney in 2002 — said, “I’m very disappointed,” adding, “He’s put his political future above the promises he made to Massachusetts.” Romney’s “new stance on abortion” convinced some Republicans that he may be pursuing a 2008 presidential nomination, according to the Globe (Boston Globe, 7/27).

Romney’s Views Appealing to Conservatives
Romney on Monday outlined “an emphatically antiabortion position,” criticizing Roe and saying states should be allowed to determine the legality of abortion, which analysts say places him philosophically in the center of antiabortion advocates. Although some conservatives advocate for a constitutional amendment to outlaw abortion, others seek the issue’s return to state legislatures because they think the majority of U.S. residents are not ready for an absolute ban. “It seems to me that Romney’s position … would appeal to most pro-life voters and most pragmatic pro-life activists,” David Boaz, executive vice president of the Cato Institute, said. Antiabortion advocate Hadley Arkes, a political science professor at Amherst College in Massachusetts, said, “The people long seasoned in the [antiabortion] movement will find very refined points where they’d want to either quibble with him or offer instruction to him as a newfound friend,” adding, “But I think people would see here the clear signs of somebody who wants to say he shares their perspective and wants to move in their direction” (Greenberger, Boston Globe, 7/27).

“Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

On Tuesday, EMILY’s List announced a new campaign to counteract former Alaska Gov. and 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s endorsement of conservative, antiabortion-rights female candidates whom she has dubbed “Mamma Grizzlies,” Politico reports. The EMILY’s List online campaign, “Sarah Doesn’t Speak for Me,” will use multimedia, user-submitted stories and information on the Palin-endorsed candidates. EMILY’s List supports female candidates who support abortion rights.

EMILY’s List President Stephanie Schriock said in a statement that Palin “has made it her mission to defeat candidates who have worked hard to champion the rights of women and families across the country and replace them with conservative candidates who want to repeal health care, stand with Big Business and eliminate a woman’s right to choose.” The group is “calling on women — and men! — to let their voices be heard and to reject Palin’s reactionary candidates and backwards-looking agenda,” the statement said (Schultheis, Politico, 8/17).

Shriock said EMILY’s List created the campaign “because we didn’t want women across the country to think that there is only one voice for women, and we didn’t want Sarah Palin’s voice to go unchallenged.” She added that Palin and the candidates she has endorsed “are really about issues of stopping job creation, stopping health care, saying no to anything and moving us backwards to extremist policies in this country” (O’Brien/Richards, “Blog Briefing Room,” The Hill, 8/17).

EMILY’s List spokesperson Jess McIntosh said the campaign is national in scope and will be used to help all the candidates the group has endorsed this year (Politico, 8/17). Three key races for abortion-rights supporters include the California Senate race between Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) and Carly Fiorina (R), the House race in Minnesota between EMILY’s List candidate Tarryl Clark (D) and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R); and the New Mexico gubernatorial race between Diane Denish (D) and Susana Martinez (R) (Pecquet, “Healthwatch,” The Hill, 8/17).

Reprinted with kind permission from nationalpartnership. You can view the entire Daily Women’s Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women’s Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families.

© 2010 National Partnership for Women & Families. All rights reserved.

Seven female, Democratic senators on Thursday during a press conference said they will insist Supreme Court nominee Judge John Roberts state his opinion on privacy rights — including his views on… Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court case that struck down state abortion bans — before he is confirmed, the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Lochhead, San Francisco Chronicle, 7/29). Some observers say Roberts could tip the balance of the Supreme Court on the issue because retiring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was the deciding vote in several cases that upheld abortion rights. Roberts, who in 2003 was confirmed as a judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, has never written a legal opinion on the issue as a judge (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 7/28). At the press conference, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said the lack of documents on Roberts leaves “some confusion where he stands” on privacy rights, including abortion, adding, “There can be no confusion” (San Francisco Chronicle, 7/29). Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) said, “I want to hear a nominee say that the [right to privacy] is the basis for their philosophy,” adding, “If an individual says that, then I will be convinced that they truly believe in the right to privacy and will not be a member of the Supreme Court that will unsettle Roe v. Wade.” Cantwell acknowledged that the request amounts to a “litmus test,” the Washington Times reports. When the group of senators were asked if they would support Roberts’ confirmation if he were to say Roe was wrongly decided, Boxer said she would find it “impossible” to approve his nomination, while Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) said she would not speculate on her vote before the hearings. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) did not say whether she would support Roberts in that circumstance, but said that senators are interested in more than just abortion rights (Hurt, Washington Times, 7/29).

Web Site, Other Involved Senators
The group of senators on Thursday also announced the creation of a Web site — democrats.senate/askroberts — dedicated to seeking public input on what questions should be asked during Roberts’ confirmation hearings, the Oakland Tribune reports. Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.) also participated in the press conference (Richman, Oakland Tribune, 7/29). Although Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) was not at the press conference to announce the Web site, Mikulski said it has her support (San Francisco Chronicle, 7/29).

“Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Approximately 185,415 legal abortions were performed on women in England and Wales in 2004, a 2.1% increase over 2003 and the highest number ever recorded, according to a… report published on Wednesday by the United Kingdom’s Department of Health, the Guardian reports. The overall abortion rate also increased from 17.5 abortions per 1,000 women in 2003 to 17.8 abortions per 1,000 women in 2004. Almost 90% of the abortions took place during the first 13 weeks of pregnancy, and about 60% occurred before 10 weeks gestation. The abortion rate for girls under age 18 in England and Wales decreased from 18.2 abortions per 1,000 girls in 2003 to 17.8 per 1,000 in 2004. DOH and physicians said they were disappointed by the figures (Meikle, Guardian, 7/28). Theresa May, the Conservative Party’s Shadow Secretary of State for the Family, said decisive action is needed to further reduce teenage abortion rates, which DOH has pledged to halve by 2010 (Fletcher, Daily Express, 7/28). A DOH spokesperson said that the number of teenage pregnancies has fallen by nearly 10% since 1998 and that the British government will soon launch a new safe-sex education campaign targeting young people (Guardian, 7/28). Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists President Allan Templeton said, “It is disappointing that after several years of no increase or falling abortion rates, there was a further increase this year. We feel that this requires further investigation and, in particular, the availability of fertility control in Britain” (Daily Express, 7/28).

“Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

New research from fpa for this year’s Sexual Health Week (1-7thAugust) shows that the NHS in England could save almost ??1 billion over 15 years by investing in contraceptive services and speeding up women’s access to abortion services by just 10 days.

Key findings show that by changing contraceptive prescribing patterns and raising the profile of different methods of contraception, the number of unintended pregnancies would fall and costs incurred by abortion and maternity services would be cut by ??500 million over 15 years, resulting in annual savings of around ??33 million. The research also indicates that the contraceptive methods routinely offered to women do not always meet their needs and estimates that the use of implants and the IUS would increase by 9% and 8% respectively if women’s true preferences were met.

The report shows that by cutting abortion waiting times by 10 days more women would be eligible for early medical abortion or a surgical abortion under local anaesthetic – both of which are more cost effective and less complicated than other options, making a further saving of up to ??30 million per year. Currently, waiting times for abortion vary widely: whilst 30% of Primary Care Trusts offer abortions within 14 days, 16% make women wait more than 28 days*.

Anne Weyman, Chief Executive of fpa said: “This research sends a clear and urgent message to Chief Executives of PCTs that they must champion fertility choices and invest to save. A comprehensive review of contraceptive and abortion services could save the NHS over ??60 million a year, not only in these specific areas but across related sectors. Cutting corners in service provision is a false economy.”

“Around 80% of women obtain their contraception from general practice, which is often unable to offer many of the longer acting methods. PCTs should urgently review GP training and ongoing support, especially for methods such as implants, IUDs and the IUS. There is also a real lack of knowledge among women about all their contraceptive options.”

“For PCTs to reduce waiting times for abortions by 10 days is a wholly achievable objective. Many PCTs have already made good progress in bringing waiting times down and we urge the rest to assess how they can implement systematic changes across these services. All PCTs must increase women’s choices by ensuring that women know about the different methods of early abortion and provide the services needed.”

A model for PCTs to help with the practical task of reducing costs in the services they provide will be available when the full report is published in September 2005. An executive summary will be sent to all PCT Chief Executives across England.

“PCTs are under huge financial pressure to provide cost-effective and streamlined services. This way they can improve healthcare provision and save money at the same time.” she added.

For further information please contact fpa’s press office on 020 7923 5201/5202. Mobile 07958 921060.

fpa (Family Planning Association) is the only registered charity working to improve the sexual health and reproductive rights of all people throughout the UK.

* All Party Parliamentary Pro-Choice & Sexual Health Group survey NHS Abortion Services June 2004

1. The ‘Economics of Sexual Health’ research by Newcastle University was commissioned by fpa to establish whether it was possible to make contraceptive and abortion services better for users whilst saving money. The two year investigation was conducted by the Centre for Health Services Research (CHSR) at the University.

2. The research was compiled using data from Prescription Analysis and Cost data (PACT) regarding women aged between 15-49, DH abortion statistics and consultation with a panel of experts.

3. Other campaign activity for sexual health week includes campaign packs of posters, postcards and leaflets sent to over 2,000 health and related professionals in the UK. Artwork can be downloaded from fpa.

4. There are fourteen methods of contraception. Methods and percentage of use among women aged 16-49 years old (Contraception and Sexual Health 2003, Office of National Statistics) are as follows:
Combined Pill/Progestogen-only Pill (25%) Condom (23%) Male Sterilisation (12%) Female Sterilisation (11%) IUD (4%) Injection/Implant (3%), IUS (1%), Cap/Diapragm (1%), Natural Family Planning (1%), Female Condom (0)%, Patch (unknown)

fpa (Family Planning Association) is the only registered charity working to improve the sexual health and reproductive rights of all people throughout the UK.

fpa

Rapper and actor Nick Cannon’s… video for his song “Can I Live?” in which he describes his then-17-year-old mother’s decision not to abort him, has become a “visual persuasion tool” for the antiabortion movement, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Antiabortion Web sites, including lifesite and prolifeblogs, have lauded the video as an eloquent statement “for the culture of life” and are urging viewers to keep requesting it on television countdown shows, such as MTV’s “Total Request Live” and BET’s “106 & Park.” Representatives of Planned Parenthood Federation of America said they were not familiar with Cannon’s song or video, according to the Inquirer. Mark Anthony Neal, a professor of African-American studies at Duke University, said that the “bittersweet nature of (the video) makes it easy to be exploited as a political tool,” adding, “The whole issue of choice is not being debated when you’re caught up in the issue of ‘Look how good Nick Cannon turned out.’” Although Cannon, who is 24 years old, says he is personally opposed to abortion as a means of birth control, he said he “wasn’t really trying to make a political statement” with the song or video, adding, “I wasn’t trying to be pro-life or pro-choice. I was just trying to be pro-Nick.” Next month, Cannon plans to release a book featuring fan testimonials inspired by the “Can I Live?” song and video, according to the Inquirer (John-Hall, Philadelphia Inquirer, 8/2).

“Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.