Sharp increase in abortion figures

Jun 29 2009 by Lynn Jolly, Paisley Daily Express

ALMOST 4,000 abortions have been carried out in 12 months in the health board area that takes in Paisley.

A total of 3,731 procedures were performed in hospitals and clinics within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde in 2008.

Nationally, the number of abortions in Scotland rose to an all-time high last year, with 13,817 terminations – up 79 on the previous year.

Scottish Public Health Minister Shona Robison said: “It is disappointing that there has been a rise in the number of abortions carried out in Scotland.

“Education has a key role to play, which is why we are working with parents, schools and NHS Health Scotland to provide additional support and information around relationships and sexual health.

“As part of this, we’re developing a marketing campaign, supported by a national website, for the adult population which will focus on encouraging people to talk to their partner about their sexual health.”

Across the country almost 3,500 terminations were carried out on teenagers and 343 were performed on girls aged under 16.

Ms Robison added: “We’re also committed to reducing the number of repeated unintended pregnancies. The sexual health standards for boards, produced by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland, are designed to ensure women receive a safe termination, followed by a contraceptive review and counselling.

“They also contain a target to increase the use of Long Acting Reversible Contraception – a forthcoming NHS Health Scotland campaign will inform and encourage women to use these methods.

“We also strongly encourage the use of condoms to help protect against sexually transmitted infections, as well as preventing unintended pregnancies.”

Cardinal Keith O’Brien, the leader of Scotland’s Roman Catholics described the news as “inhuman and degrading.”

He commented: “The 2008 abortion statistics confirm the abject failure of the so-called ‘sexual health strategy’ of recent years. They represent a human rights violation, in our midst, on a massive scale.

“We destroy 53 unborn children each day in Scotland. Were this carnage to take place among children lucky enough to have been born our outrage would be boundless.

“The victims of this inhuman and degrading violence are firstly the 13,817 Scottish children killed before they have been born and then the thousands of women who agree to their own offspring being aborted.

“In 2007 when I claimed that ‘we kill the equivalent of a classroom full of school children every day’ many objected to the vehemence of my language.

“Grotesquely, since then we have seen classroom sizes in Scotland fall and abortion numbers rise. Today we abort over 50 children per day, or two classrooms full. These statistics shame and debase us all.”