The rising cost of living and limited access to contraception have led to a significant increase in abortion rates across England and Wales, according to healthcare providers and medical professionals.
Government statistics released on Thursday reveal that the number of abortions rose by 11% in 2023 compared to the previous year. The age-standardised abortion rate for women reached 23.0 abortions per 1,000 residents, the highest level since the Abortion Act was introduced in 1967.
Katie Saxon, the chief strategic communications officer at BPAS, one of the country’s largest abortion providers, said the figures “reflect the first full year of abortion care during the cost of living crisis, which is essential context for understanding the rise in abortion rates.”
“No woman should have to end a pregnancy she would otherwise have continued purely for financial reasons. Equally, no woman should become pregnant because she is unable to access the contraception she wants, when she needs it,” Saxon added.
Dr Alison Wright, the president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, echoed these concerns, stating that the new data “highlights how access to high-quality abortion care is essential for women’s health and reproductive autonomy.”
The data shows that the abortion rate for women aged 35 and over has continued to increase, from 7.1 per 1,000 women in 2013 to 12.3 per 1,000 women in 2023. The lowest rate was among under-18s, at 7.8.
Significantly, the proportion of abortions carried out at the earliest gestational stage of up to nine weeks has risen from 79% to 89% over the past decade. This trend has been driven by the increased availability of at-home abortion services, which now account for 72% of all terminations in 2023.
Dr Wright praised the “positive impact of at-home early medical abortion,” stating that it “has enabled women to end pregnancies at the earliest possible gestation.” She added that the telemedicine pathway “removes practical barriers for women who may otherwise struggle to attend in-person appointments.”
Providers and medical professionals have called on the government to do more to ensure women have access to the contraception and reproductive healthcare they need, particularly in the context of the ongoing cost of living crisis.