Official figures in England and Wales show that the number of abortions carried out in 2015 was the highest in five years as the number of pregnancy terminations among women in their 30s and 40s is on the rise.
According to an annual statistics report released by the UK Department of Health on Tuesday, 185,824 abortions were carried out on women and girls in England and Wales last year, that was 1,253 (0.7%) more than the 184,571 performed in 2014, and the largest number since the 189,931 carried out in 2011.
“Since 2005 the rates for women aged 30 to 34 have gone up from 14.5 per 1,000 women in 2005 to 17.1 in 2015, and rates for women aged 35 or over have gone up from 6.8 per 1,000 women in 2005 to 7.8 in 2015,” the report said.
It also added that almost four in 10 terminations are now carried out on women that have undergone the procedure before.
The figures further indicate that 833 women traveled from Northern Ireland, the only part of the UK…