24.05.2011 Fall in number of abortions for ninth consecutive year

24th May 2011

Pro Life Campaign says downward trend is “very encouraging”

The latest Irish abortion figures released today by the British Department of Health* show a further reduction in the number of Irish women travelling to Britain for abortions.

In 2010, 4,402 Irish women travelled to Britain for abortions, down from 4,422 for the previous year. It is the ninth consecutive year that Irish abortions have declined after more than a decade of upward trends. It marks a 34% decline since the high of 6,673 Irish abortions in 2001.

Responding to the latest figures, Dr Ruth Cullen of the Pro-Life Campaign said:

The Pro-Life Campaign welcomes the continued downward trend in abortions.

It has been suggested that the reduction in abortions may be as a result of more Irish women travelling to countries other than England for abortions. This is purely anecdotal as there is no statistical evidence to back up these claims. In fact, the official figures for countries like Holland have shown a drop in recent years of abortions on foreign nationals.

Over the past nine years, there has been a 34% decline in Irish abortions. It is an extremely encouraging trend and should be welcomed by everyone on both sides of the abortion debate. For years, abortion advocates claimed that an upward trend in abortions was inevitable. These claims have now proven to be false.

Legalised abortion totally ignores the humanity and rights of the unborn child as well as the latest peer reviewed medical research highlighting the long-term negative effects of abortion on women.

Ireland’s abortion rate is now 4.4 per 1,000 female residents aged 15-44 where England’s is 17.5.

*Statistical Bulletin, Summary Abortion Statistics, England and Wales: 2010 (24/05/11)