A total of 49 girls under the age of 16 had abortions in Britain last year, the latest figures show. It marks a rise on 2003 when 42 under-16 year-olds had abortions.
Abortion Statistics, England and Wales 2004, published yesterday by the British Department of Health, indicates that 6,217 women who had abortions in Britain last year gave Irish addresses. This is slightly down on 2003 when 6,320 women gave Irish addresses. It continues a downward trend since 2001 when 6,673 women who had abortions gave an Irish address.
The trend among teenagers overall is also down. Some 798 girls under the age of 20 had abortions last year compared with 836 in 2003, 916 in 2002 and 944 in 2001. The numbers under 16 having abortions, however, has risen overall from 41 in 2001. Some 56 under-16s had abortions in 2002, 42 in 2003 and 49 last year.
President of the National Parents Council (post primary), Eleanor Petrie said the numbers of teenagers seeking abortion was a "sad indictment of the society in which our children are growing up". "These girls are underage, it's illegal to have sex with them and parents have to take responsibility for ensuring their daughters do not find themselves in this situation."
Referring to comments from Minister for Health Mary Harney that the morning-after pill should be available to girls as young as 11 in certain circumstances, Ms Petrie said such contraception was "absolutely better than going for an abortion".
The Crisis Pregnancy Agency welcomed the overall downward trend. Communications manager Caroline Spillane also welcomed the fall in the number of teenagers seeking abortions. Noting the overall increase among under-16 year-olds she said it was important to keep the issue "in perspective".
The Irish Family Planning Association questioned whether the downward trend overall was due to an actual decrease in Irish women seeking abortions. It said the "small drop in the number" was "most likely a result of the high costs of having the procedure" in Britain.
Rosie Toner, IFPA director of counselling services, said: "We have noticed there are women attending our post abortion counselling service who had their termination in other European countries, including the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain", where the procedure was cheaper.
The Pro-Life Campaign welcomed the apparent decrease, but said it was "minuscule". "Our abortion figures remain tragically high," said spokeswoman Geraldine Martin.
