Scotland sees spike in abortions, more babies killed due to disabilities: report
Scotland saw an increase in abortion procedures in 2023, including an increase in the number of abortions due to a fetal diagnosis, such as Down syndrome, according to a recent report.
Public Health Scotland released statistics Tuesday on the number of reported abortions in the country, drawing its data from the Termination of Pregnancy Submissions Scotland system.
The public health entity reported an increase in abortions in 2023 compared to 2022, with last year having 18,208 pregnancy terminations compared to 16,608 in 2022.
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Data was divided into different grounds for which an abortion was performed. This included Ground E, which is defined as when a pregnancy is terminated because “there is substantial risk that, if the child were born, it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped.”
Ground E includes abortions performed because the unborn baby was diagnosed with Down syndrome, Spina Bifida, Edwards syndrome, or other genetic conditions.
According to the downloadable statistics, in 2023, there were 285 abortions performed on the basis of Ground E, a slight increase to the 274 performed for this reason in 2022, and well above the 201 performed for this reason in 2014.
Of the Ground E abortions, 48 were performed in 2023 because of Down syndrome, which was a slight decline compared to the 59 performed for the same reason in 2022.
The leading reason for abortions in Scotland last year was Ground C, which includes abortions performed before 24 weeks gestation that include risk of “injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman.”
Of terminations performed last year, 17,893 were due to Ground C, an increase from the 16,313 performed for this reason in 2022, and well above the 11,698 performed in 2014.
The Society for Protection of Unborn Children, a pro-life group based in the U.K., released a statement denouncing the increase in abortions, especially as there was a reported increase in minors seeking terminations.
“Abortion has surged yet again in Scotland, most alarmingly among girls aged 16 and under who Public Health Scotland disingenuously list as ‘women.’ The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) defines any person under 18 as a child,” stated the SPUC.
“SPUC will not forget these precious lives. Each boy and girl had a right to life that was cruelly taken away from them. We will not abandon those lives still threatened by abortion. SPUC will continue to give a voice to the voiceless.”
