London, England, Jun 23, 2023 / 09:45 am
Pro-life campaigners have declared the extent of abortion in England and Wales a “national tragedy” after official statistics released by the Department of Health and Social Care on June 22 showed a significant increase in the number of abortions last year.
Between Jan. 1, 2022, and June 30, 2022, 123,219 abortions by residents of England and Wales took place compared with the first six months of 2021, which saw 105,488 abortions, representing a 17% increase in the span of just one year.
“It is a national tragedy,” said Catherine Robinson, spokesperson for Right to Life UK, in a statement released June 22. Robinson noted that 2021 saw the highest number of abortions ever recorded in England and Wales over the full year, at 214,256.
“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,” she said.