The 58th anniversary of the Abortion Act coming into force has renewed debate over the scale of abortion in Britain, with campaigners on both sides pointing to recent record figures and the long arc of a law that has shaped British public life since 1968. According to a press release issued this week, Right To Life UK says that 11,105,671 abortions have taken place across the UK since the Act came into effect.
The latest official figures show that abortion remains at historically high levels. In England and Wales, there were 277,970 abortions for residents in 2023, the highest number recorded since the law was introduced, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.
