Six babies with cleft lips or cleft palates and 19 with Down’s syndrome were aborted late-term in 2022 across England and Wales, according to official figures. The latest statistics also reveal a general uptick in the numbers of abortions directly related to a baby’s disability.
The latest abortion figures for Scotland in 2023 are even worse, also revealing a sharp rise in the numbers of young girls having abortions. Scotland reports its figures a year ahead of England and Wales.
Abortion data for England and Wales has revealed that in 2022, there were 256 late-term abortions because of disabilities, such as Down’s syndrome and cleft palates. In total, there were 3,124 abortions linked to the baby’s disabilities – including 760 with Down’s syndrome and 46 with cleft lips.
There has also been a 15% jump in the number of babies aborted because of a cleft lip or cleft palate – a condition that can usually be easily treated successfully with no lasting medical problems.
Government data also reveals record numbers of abortions have been taking place across the UK, coinciding with the increased availability of ‘home abortions’ since the pandemic. In England and Wales, 252,122 abortions took place in 2022 – up more than 17% on the previous year and a record high since the Abortion Act 1967 was introduced.
There were 102,689 ‘repeat’ abortions – up 12.45% on 2021; and 72 involved selective termination where a baby in a multiple pregnancy is aborted.
It is a similar picture in Scotland, with 18,207 abortions taking place in 2023 – another record number. Statistics from Public Health Scotland show this was almost 10% more than in 2022.
Scotland also saw 49 babies with Down’s syndrome being aborted. There was a 35% increase in late-term abortions (21+ weeks) last year; and four in ten abortions were ‘repeat’ abortions. Concerningly, the numbers of young girls (aged 15 and under) in Scotland who were having abortions was up 29.2% compared to 2022.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, described abortion figures as ‘a national tragedy’
