Today new abortions statistics for England and Wales were released, revealing the highest ever number of abortions took place in the first 6 months of 2020.

The statistics, released by the Department of Health and Social Care, show that between 1 January and 30 June 2020 a total of 109,836 abortions took place — 4,296 abortions higher than the figure for the same period in 2019.

Growth in numbers coincides with Covid-19 DIY abortion policy

This sharp increase in abortions coincides with the Government's DIY 'at home' abortion policy, introduced at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, despite organisations such as CARE issuing stark warnings of the potential dangers of such a scheme.

Whilst it is difficult to accurately assess to what extent telemedicine abortions have led to an increase in abortion numbers, it does seem coincidental that numbers have sharply risen since the policy was introduced.

Another factor leading to the increased numbers may be lockdown itself, with higher numbers of women getting pregnant and finding themselves in difficult circumstances, whether through lack of support emotionally or financially. Evidence suggests that women are more likely to turn to abortion in difficult economic circumstances.

Serious problems with DIY scheme

Aside from the increase in abortion numbers, the DIY scheme has already racked up a catalogue of serious failures.

Most tragically, two women were revealed to have died in an email leaked from a regional chief midwife at NHS England and NHS Improvement.

The email, detailing the "escalating risks" of the DIY home abortion scheme, also revealed that there were women reporting to A&E departments with serious medical complications as a result of self-administering abortion pills, including haemorrhage and sepsis.

It also stated that the police have opened a murder investigation into the death of a baby who was born alive after its mother took abortion pills at home.

Further evidence of the dangers of this scheme were revealed by an undercover investigation conducted by Christian Concern, who found evidence that abortion providers were prescribing abortion pills for women who were well outside the recommended gestational limit for self-administering early medical abortion pills.

One woman was also found to have aborted her baby at 28 weeks gestation, well beyond the recommended 9 weeks 6 days, prompting another police investigation.

The Government have confirmed they will be conducting a public consultation on making the practice of telemedicine DIY abortions permanent, following a commitment they made to Diana Johnson MP, after she failed to amend the Domestic Abuse Bill to obtain this outcome.

CARE's view

Our heart goes out to every woman and baby represented by these statistics, who society has absolutely failed.

We do not believe that abortion ever truly empowers women or leads to a society where women are treated more fairly.

Instead, it entrenches inequalities women face, and in the process leads to the dehumanisation of preborn babies — cheapening the value of life altogether.

Every time abortion statistics increase year upon year, this is just further evidence that abortion doesn't solve any of the deeper social problems our society faces, and it ought to give us all more motivation to question a culture that considers life in the womb to be so disposable.

If you want to dig deeper on the issue of abortion, please do watch this episode of the CAREcast, where Naomi Marsden, Philippa Taylor and Nola Leach discuss the issue of backstreet abortions, and how telemedicine abortions are an example of abortions moving increasingly to the backstreets today.