The ability to take pregnancy termination pills at home is being blamed for alarming abortion statistics in Britain, where five teens are among more than 700 women who have racked up at least six abortions in their lifetimes.
Statistics indicate a further 148 women in the UK went through at least their eighth abortion in 2018 – up by a quarter in two years, the UK Daily Mail reported.
Anti-abortion activists called the figures ‘alarming’ and blamed the increase on changes to the law that allow abortion pills to be taken at home.
Abortion-supporting charity Marie Stopes UK responded to the criticism by saying there is no right or wrong number of abortions.
Until last year, women were required to take termination tablets at a health care facility 24 to 48 hours apart, under nurse supervision. It often led to women to having cramps or bleeding before they could get home.
Pro-life campaigners have claimed the rule change has fuelled “DIY” abortions and suggested it is now easier for abuse to slip under the radar.
Antonia Tully, director of campaigns at The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children,
told Sky News: “A woman seeking her seventh or eighth abortion could easily be in an abusive situation where she is being repeatedly coerced into having an abortion.
“Alarm bells should be ringing loudly when teenage girls are having repeat abortions. Is anyone asking questions about why a teenager, possibly underage, keeps presenting for abortion? This is a massive betrayal of vulnerable women and girls who need help not abortions.”
Ms. Tully added that women have been left to suffer in silence alone at home. She added: “This harmful policy ignores the evidence that women aborting at home, often alone, can be left with serious mental health problems.”
Freedom of Information requests revealed there were 205,295 terminations carried out in Britain last year, up by 11 per cent from 2016. Data from the Department of Health and NHS Scotland showed 84,258 of these were repeat terminations – 3,332 of which were performed on teenagers. Twenty-three teenagers were among 4,389 women to have their fourth termination in 2018.
Meanwhile 718 women, including five teens, had at least their sixth abortion in 2018, a third more than in 2016. And 143 women had their eighth or more abortion last year, a 27 per cent rise from 2016.
