Abortions increase

The number of women having abortions in Rochdale, Heywood and Middleton has increased and more teenagers are undergoing terminations.

Statistics from the Department of Health reveal there were 790 abortions in Rochdale last year, compared with 695 in 2007 — an increase of 95.

Figures for teenagers in the borough have also risen, with 97 under 18s undergoing a termination, compared with 90 in 2007, and the figure for 18 and 19-year-olds is up from 92 to 94.

Figures show that a third of the abortions (259) were carried out on 20 to 24-year-olds (up from 213).

The statistics also reveal that 157 women aged between 25 and 29 had an abortion (up from 129), 88 people aged 30 to 34 (down from 94), and another 95 who were over 35 (up from 77).

Helen Lewis-Parmar, sexual health lead for NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale, said: “Although the abortion rate has increased over the year, 95 is still a relatively small number and comparable to the rest of Greater Manchester. 

"Preventing teenage pregnancy is a key objective of NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale and our sexual health service does a fantastic job of reaching our under 18’s to educate them about safe sex and provide access to contraception.

“We also have excellent services for young women who do become pregnant but do not wish to continue with the pregnancy. Our crisis intervention team is very experienced at supporting young women who decide to have an abortion and helping them to cope emotionally.”

Nationally, the total number of abortions was 195,296, compared with 198,499 in 2007 — a fall of 1.6%, contrasting with the previous year’s increase of 2.5%.

The under-18 rate was down to 18.9 per 1,000 women, but in Rochdale it is up to 22.

The NHS funded 91% of the abortions, with 90% carried out at under 13 weeks gestation. Medical abortions accounted for 38% of the total, with 1% (1,988) under the grounds that the child would be born handicapped.