By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Chair Faculty Research Ethics Committee, UWS

As a tragic abortion-related story dominates BBC England news, I was reminded of these important trends in Scotland.

From the Guardian 24 May 2024:

There were 251,377 abortions for women resident in the two nations in 2022, official figures from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) show.

With 9% of the population of England & Wales, all things being equal, you might expect Scotland to have had around 22 600 abortions in the same year.

According to Abortion Rights in May 2023, it had 16 584, around 6 000 fewer.

The abortion rate in England & Wales is a shocking 36% higher than in Scotland, after 17 years of SNP rule and 14 years of Tory/Labour rule in England/Wales.

Also, from Abortion Rights in 2019:

Abortion statistics are the canary in the coalmine for reproductive rights. The warning signs are here, women’s reproductive healthcare is paying a high price under the government’s austerity measures. Our ability to choose means nothing in practice if services are cut and waiting times are increased.

What could account for this difference in thousands of abortions avoided in Scotland?

Shorter waiting lists, more midwives, more home visitors, the Child Payment, more affordable housing….

I know, drug deaths…drug deaths…

England abortion capital of…..?

Sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/24/number-abortions-england-wales-record-levels

https://abortionrights.org.uk/scottish-abortion-statistics-2022/

https://abortionrights.org.uk/abortion-statistics-are-the-canary-in-the-coalmine-for-reproductive-rights/

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