Number of abortions in Scotland last year second highest on record, figures show
Abortion
The number of abortions in Scotland last year was the second-highest on
record, new figures from Public Health Scotland show.
According to the organisation, 13,815 terminations were conducted in Scotland in 2020, most of which involved women aged between 20 and 24 years old.
This was the second highest number on record since 1968, when record-keeping began. The worst year on record is 2008, when 13,908 abortions took place.
The tragic figures also demonstrated that women from deprived areas are more likely to have an abortion than those in affluent areas.
Women
from the most deprived 20% of areas in Scotland were more than twice as likely
to have an abortion.
CARE's Chief Communication Officer James Mildred commented:
"Every abortion that takes place is an unspeakable tragedy, so it is particularly distressing to see a record number of abortions in Scotland last year.
"There is also a deep and tragic irony to these statistics. In a year which saw Scotland as a whole focused on protecting vulnerable elderly citizens from coronavirus, the most vulnerable group in society, the unborn, were afforded no protections whatsoever.
"We need to move to a place where all human beings in society, regardless of their age or status, are seen as valuable and worthy of dignity and respect."
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Number of abortions in Scotland last year second highest on record, figures show