Revealed: Under-16 abortions in London hit lowest rate in years

New figures: A file image of surgeons. The number of under-16 abortions has fallen steadily in the capital
John Birdsall/Rex
Ramzy Alwakeel21 November 2015

The number of under-16 girls in London having abortions has fallen to its lowest number in years, new figures show.

Data released by the Office for National Statistics reveal 397 girls aged 15 or under underwent pregnancy terminations in the capital in 2013, the latest year for which figures are available.

Twenty-five of those were from Croydon, while two other boroughs – Lambeth and Barking and Dagenham – saw 24 of the procedures carried out.

The figure has fallen steadily since 2009, when 622 under-16 girls from London had abortions.

Under-16 abortions by London borough in 2013

Barking and Dagenham    24 

Barnet    11 

Bexley    13 

Brent    10 

Bromley    21 

Camden    <10

Croydon    25 

Ealing    13 

Enfield    16 

Hackney & City of London    10

Hammersmith and Fulham    <10

Haringey    12

Islington    <10

Greenwich    19 

Harrow    <10

Havering    17 

Hillingdon    14 

Hounslow    13 

Kensington and Chelsea    <10

Kingston upon Thames    <10

Lambeth    24 

Lewisham    14 

Merton    <10

Newham    17 

Redbridge    <10

Richmond upon Thames    <10

Southwark    18 

Sutton    12 

Tower Hamlets    <10

Wandsworth    10 

Westminster    <10

Waltham Forest    14

Data from earlier years is not available in the same level of detail, but nationwide the number of under-16 girls having terminations has fallen significantly since 2000.

The figures are largely explained by a parallel drop in the number of under-16 girls who get pregnant in London.

The proportion of under-16 pregnancies that end in abortion has stayed relatively static in the last five years of data – between 65 per cent and 69pc.

Dr Yvonne Doyle, regional director for PHE London, called the figures “encouraging”.

“Improved access to sexual health services in the capital, along with greater access to contraception, has been crucial to the reduction in teenage pregnancy,” she said.

“Sex and relationship education both in school and out of school is vital and will be key to London ensuring that this downward trend is maintained.

“PHE will be working with local authorities and the NHS in London to help them make further progress.”

FOI data requested by the Standard show Barts Health – which covers Tower Hamlets and Newham – carried out the most abortions on girls under 16 last year of all the capital’s hospital trusts.

It gave 20 girls the procedure, up from 18 in 2013/14 but down from 32 in 2012/13.

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