Recent figures released in England and Wales, show that the number of women getting pregnancy abortions has dropped by 1.6 %. In 2008 there were 195,296 terminations, while in 2007 there were 198,499. This is the first fall in abortions in three years. Also lower, were the statistics for terminations of pregnancies in teenagers under 16 years of age, and those under 18 years of age. The highest abortion rate is seen in the 19 year age group which currently stands at 36 per 1000 women.

Health Minister, Dawn Primarolo said that the drop in the abortion rate is good news and said that “More abortions are now happening at under 10 weeks gestation. This is a key priority for us – to reduce the time women have to wait at what is already a very difficult time.” In response to the drop in teenage pregnancies, Liz Stopes from the Marie Stopes abortion clinics said, “We are pleased that those teenagers who have aspirations other than motherhood appear to be protecting themselves against unintended pregnancy.”