According to the new official statistics by the UK Department of Health & Social Care, there were 123,219 abortions of residents in England and Wales between January and June 2022.

This was an increase of 17% from the same period in 2021 (105,488), and equates to over 680 abortions every day .

The majority of abortions took place in the early stages of pregnancy: 67% up to and including 7 weeks gestation; 93% up to and including 12 weeks, and 98% up to and including 17 weeks gestation.

Method of abortion

The Department of Health & Social Care explained that there are 2 methods of abortion: medical methods, which involve the use of drugs, and surgical methods, such as vacuum aspiration or dilatation and evacuation.

From January to June 2022, medical abortions accounted for 86% of abortions. The majority (97%) took place under 10 weeks, similar to the proportion in the first 6 months of 2021 (96%).

DIY at-home abortions on rise

There has been a significant rise in the number of the so called DIY at-home abortions: 54% of all abortions performed in the first six months of 2022, a slight rise on the 52% of all abortions they accounted for in 2021.

The use of both pills for early medical abortion at home, without the need to first attend a hospital or clinic, was fully approved on 30 August 2022, despite of the warnings and complaints of any experts about the complications that it may bring.

The government report states that “complications were reported in 161 cases in January to June. Due to how complications are recorded, for terminations where either both or the second stage is administered at home, complications may be less likely to be recorded”.

CARE: “Easier to coerce women into abortions against their will”

For Christian advocacy group CARE, that is “a further cause for concern”, because “it is a threat to women’s health, and makes it easier for men to coerce women into abortions against their will, and fails to protect victims of abuse and human trafficking”.

A woman was recently sentenced for illegally using DIY at-home abortion pills at least eight weeks after the legal time limit of 24 weeks. Despite attempts at resuscitation, the baby was pronounced dead.

For Louise Davies, CARE director of advocacy and policy, “we all should be removing barriers to motherhood and ensuring that every woman who goes through a crisis pregnancy is fully aware of all the options she has”.

She also warned that “a significant number of abortions are taking place on the grounds of disability”, an calls for “an end to the discriminatory provision in UK legislation allowing the termination of disabled preborn babies up to birth”.

CC: Each number represents a precious child

Andrea Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern, pointed out that “it is with heavy hearts that we witness the devastating toll upon innocent lives. Each number represents a precious child, fearfully and wonderfully made, but whose lives have been cut short.

“Let us strive for a future where we as a nation chooses compassion and hope in the recognition that every life, from conception to natural end, is a precious gift from God”, she added.