Official figures released today by the Department of Health show that the number of women having abortions in England and Wales has risen for the first time in three years. In total 189,574 abortions were performed in 2010, representing a 0.3% increase from 2009.

Marie Stopes International, the leading provider of independent sexual and reproductive health services was disappointed not to see a further reduction in numbers as we have seen in previous years. With improvements in contraception rates last year, these figures come as a particular surprise. We were pleased, however, to see that the under-18 abortion rate has reduced from 17.6 per 1,000 women in 2009 to 16.5 per 1,000 women in 2010.

Dr Paula Franklin, Director of Clinical Development at Marie Stopes International the leading independent provider of sexual and reproductive healthcare services, comments: "Although the numbers are similar to those of 2009, we are surprised not to see a further decrease in the number of abortions across England and Wales.

"Improved access to counselling and advice, through services like Marie Stopes International's OneCall, is allowing women to access a full range of information early. In 2010, 91% of abortions were carried out at under 13 weeks gestation, requiring a simpler procedure with fewer chances for complication and can reduce the stress and anxiety experienced by a woman in making what can be a difficult decision.

"At Marie Stopes International we are committed to providing women with the information, advice and services they need to make informed contraceptive choices. Unplanned pregnancies do of course still happen, and whilst we will always support a woman's access to safe abortion services, we want to be sure enough is being done to help avoid unplanned pregnancies in the first place. Taking a look at today's figures more closely, you can see that the number of under-18 abortions in England and Wales has fallen which we believe correlates with the increased uptake of contraception. From our own experience, as uptake of long acting forms of contraception has increased, we have seen a corresponding reduction in the number of repeat abortions with under 20 year olds.

"Although the rise is small, these abortion figures send a warning for the government's family planning strategy. There are three key areas that need to be focused on: education, access and choice. Education is absolutely vital for effective family planning. Through education, people are able to make informed choices and take control of their sexual and reproductive health. Marie Stopes International believes that comprehensive and standardised sex and relationship education should be delivered in all schools. Importantly though, we can all play a part in this: parents, teachers and trusted health providers like Marie Stopes International and the NHS. If we are to really help young people make informed decisions we have to encourage an open and non-judgemental attitude to talking about sex and relationships ??" both at home and at school.

"We should also be making it as easy as possible for people to access sexual and reproductive health services. At Marie Stopes International, we ensure there are no waiting times for appointments for counselling, contraception and treatment at our centres. Every year more than 100,000 men and women come to our centres for information, advice, professional care and support. In addition to these face-to-face consultations, our 24hr helpline OneCall receives 350,000 calls a year. Giving people as many ways as possible to access services is extremely important.

"The last point to make is around choice. There is a real need to provide people with comprehensive information on all of the contraceptive options available to them. Many people do not realise that there are 16 different types of contraception available to them. LARCs or long-acting reversible contraceptives - including the implant and injection - are the most effective forms of contraception available yet their use in the England and Wales is still relatively low. Choice does of course extend to the choice of whether or not to go through with a pregnancy. In England and Wales a woman has the choice to proceed with an abortion and we hope that in the future this choice will be common to all women across the globe."

"Today's findings highlight the need for organisations like ours to work even harder. There are clear ways we can improve national family planning delivery and we look forward to working with the government to achieve them."

Abortion Statistics, England and Wales 2010: Key Findings

- The total number of abortions was 189,574, 0.3% more than in 2009 (189,100) and 8.0% more than in 2000 (175,542).

- The age-standardised abortion rate was 17.5 per 1,000 resident women aged 15-44, the same as in 2009, but 3% higher than in 2000 (17.0) and more than double the rate of 8.0 recorded in 1970.

- The abortion rate was highest at 33 per 1,000 for women aged 19 and 20, the same as in 2009 and slightly lower than the highest rates in the year 2000 (34 per 1,000 for both 19 and 20 year olds).

- The under-16 abortion rate was 3.9 per 1,000 women and the under-18 rate was 16.5 per 1,000 women, both lower than in 2009 (4.0 and 17.6 per 1,000 women respectively) and in the year 2000 (3.9 and 18.3 per 1,000 women respectively).

- 96% of abortions were funded by the NHS. Over half (59%) took place in the independent sector under NHS contract, up from 2% in 1981.

- 91% of abortions were carried out at under 13 weeks gestation. 77% were at under 10 weeks, compared to 75% in 2009 and 58% in 2000.

- Medical abortions accounted for 43% of the total, up from 12% in 2000.

- 2,290 abortions (1%) were carried out under ground E (risk that the child would be born handicapped)

- Non-residents: in 2010, there were 6,535 abortions for non-residents carried out in hospitals and clinics in England and Wales (6,643 in 2009). The 2010 total is the lowest in any year since 1969.

Source:
Marie Stopes International