Pregnancy termination rate jumps in South Tyneside

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show there were 1,958 conceptions in the area in 2021 – down from 1,991 the year before – of which 30% were terminated.

The ONS says the data provides understanding of how lockdowns and pandemic restrictions affected behaviour.

Pregnancy experts say they show how the pandemic, and the Government’s response to it, had a clear impact on women’s pregnancy choices.

A spokesperson for the British Pregnancy Advisory Service said: "Faced with economic challenges and job insecurity, women and their partners had to make sometimes tough decisions around continuing or ending a pregnancy.

"Unfortunately, financial struggles and a lack of Government support - including the two-child limit on financial assistance - continue to force women to choose between ending an otherwise wanted pregnancy or plunging their families in to great hardship."

They say there is no "right number of abortions" bur added that there is “more the Government can do” to ensure women make the right decision for themselves when faced with an unplanned pregnancy.

The data shows the conception rate in South Tyneside in 2021 dropped slightly from 74.7 conceptions per 1,000 women in 2020 to 74.5 per 1,000 women.

In England and Wales, there were nearly 825,000 pregnancies in 2021 - up from 818,000 the year before – and the first increase in the six years.

However, the rate of conceptions has been declining throughout the same period from 78.3 per 1,000 women in 2015 to 71.5 per 1,000 women in 2021.

Overall, 26.5% led to an abortion.

The conception rate for women outside of marriage or civil partnership across the two nations rose from 73.4 per 1,000 women in 2011 to 75.1 per 1,000 women between in 2021.

Meanwhile, the conception rate for women within marriage or civil partnership decreased from 91.6 per 1,000 women to 72.2.

Siân Bradford, ONS child health senior research officer, said the higher conception rate among women who were not married or in a civil partnership was higher for the first time since records began.