HEALTH: Upsurge in abortions continues

Abortions were still rising nearly a year after the 1995 scare over the contraceptive pill, according to the latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics. Between June and September last year there was a rise of 2,721 abortions for women resident in England and Wales, or 7.1 per cent, compared with the same period in the previous year. In total, 41,162 terminations were carried out.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service, the main provider of abortion services outside the NHS, said it had seen an increase of 10.4 per cent over this period and warned it would take some time before numbers settled and returned to the steady decline that was evident before the Pill scare in October 1995.

"Many women remain unsettled and unsure about using the Pill, they need time to become confident again and importantly they need access to information which helps them understand exactly what the CSM announcement meant to them," said Carol Roberts, spokeswoman for BPAS. "Until women's confidence in the contraceptive pill returns, they will continue to use less effective methods of contraception and therefore increase their risk of getting pregnant." Glenda Cooper