Shock rise in abortions for North-East teenagers

A total of 1,023 under-18s terminated their pregnancies in 2003 in the North-East, compared to 880 the previous year, according to the Department for Health. The rise was 14.7 per cent in County Durham and Tees Valley and even higher at 17.5 per cent in Northumberland and Tyne and Wear. In contrast, the increase in under-18 abortions was only 1.9 per cent in North and East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire - half the national average of 3.9 per cent. The overall number of abortions also rose sharply by 11.8 per cent in County Durham and Tees Valley, but by only 4.1 per cent in Northumberland and Tyne and Wear. In North and East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire there were two per cent more abortions in 2003, again below the national average of 3.2 per cent. Anne Weyman, chief executive of the Family Planning Association, said the key to cutting the number of unplanned pregnancies was "good quality" advice. She said: "Again we see more figures exposing the desperate need for investment in NHS contraceptive services, including support for the professionals trying to run them." A Department for Health spokeswoman admitted the national figures - up to an all-time high at 17.5 abortions per 1,000 women - were "disappointing". But she said: "No contraception method is 100 per cent effective and there will always be women seeking an abortion, as they are legally entitled to do." Previous years have pinpointed Middlesbrough amd North Tees as abortion "hotspots" in the North-East, but this year's statistics do not contain figures for each primary care trust. A breakdown of the figures revealed that the highest number in all three strategic health authority areas were carried out on women aged between 20 and 24. And the majority were performed at under ten weeks gestation. The legal time limit for abortions in Britain is 24 weeks, unless the mother's health is in danger or the foetus has a "serious handicap". However, a Commons campaign is under way to cut this limit. Dr Nonnie Crawford, director of public health for Darlington Primary Care Trust said: "The figures are disappointing although locally we are continuing to reduce the number of teenage pregnancy occurring. "Teenage pregnancy rates in Darlington over the past year have actually fallen by 23 per cent." Margaret Barron, spokeswoman for the North-East branch of anti-abortion group Life, said: "The Government policies in this area are failing but they will not admit it. "They are pushing the pill and morning after pill but without enough guidance on a sexual life within their capabilities. Teenagers should be encouraged to wait a while before having sex."