Today, Wednesday 27 April 2022, marks 54 years since the UK's Abortion Act came into effect in 1968.

Since then, an estimated 9,900,961 unborn babies have lost their lives to abortion in England, Wales and Scotland. In 2020, at least one baby was lost every two and a half minutes - or 25 lives every hour.

According to government statistics, more than a quarter of pregnancies in England and Wales now end in abortion. During the pandemic, abortions reached a record high with 210,860 taking place in 2020.

The number of abortions that took place in Scotland in 2020 was the second-highest on record, with 13,815 taking place as the nation was plunged into lock downs.

The political will at Westminster appears to be one-sided, with several attempts in recent years to further liberalise the practice.

Amendments to legislation by pro-abortion groups have sought to decriminalise abortion for any reason up to birth - beyond the current, 24-week legal limit.

These attempts are out of step with the opinion of most Brits, who favour more restrictions on abortion, not less. Only 1% want abortion up to birth and 70% of women want the limit to be reduced to 20 weeks or lower.

Catherine Robinson of pro-life group Right to Life commented:

“The UK’s abortion law is failing both women and unborn babies. It is a national tragedy that 9,900,961 lives have been lost since the passing of the 1967 Abortion Act, each one a valuable human being who was denied the right to life. Every one of these abortions represents a failure of our society to protect the lives of babies in the womb and a failure to offer full support to women with unplanned pregnancies.

“While people may pause to remember this tragedy, this day also serves as a reminder for people around the country to renew their efforts to do everything they can to help ensure more lives are saved from abortion in the future. This includes contacting MPs and asking them to ensure that protections for unborn babies are introduced and safeguards are strengthened to protect both mothers and babies - along with volunteering with pregnancy support centers and undertaking other pro-life activities".