Why the 24-week abortion limit matters

Jeremy Hunt has been criticised by politicians, campaigners and abortion providers for declaring that the time limit for having an abortion should be halved from 24 weeks to 12. But why is it so important the limit stays at 24 weeks?

While only a small proportion of women choose to have an abortion after the 12-week mark, they are often the most vulnerable. Around 8 per cent of abortions occurred between 13 and 19 weeks and just 1 per cent of abortions were carried out after 20 weeks of pregnancy in England and Wales in 2017.

Providers say women having abortions after 12 weeks are often in profoundly difficult situations such as victims of domestic abuse, women in crisis, and those from Northern Ireland who have had to travel to mainland Britain as the procedure is illegal in Ulster in almost all cases, including rape and incest.

It also includes young women hiding their pregnancies, women oblivious to the fact they were pregnant, and those who have been told something is wrong with their pregnancy.

Many will not find out they have a foetal anomaly until after 12 weeks. For example, a hole in the heart or no brain function may only present later in the pregnancy, though before 24 weeks. A lower limit would mean they would then be forced to carry the foetus to term – therefore putting the health of both the women and babies in danger.

“Bringing up such a child puts them at financial risk and could push them into poverty as a result,” Imogen Stephens, of UK abortion provider Marie Stopes, said. “Twelve weeks is a significant reduction from 24 weeks. It is a huge statement for a future prime minister to make and to institute such a policy would place many women’s health, wellbeing and potentially their lives at risk.”

Reproductive-rights experts across the board routinely draw attention to the fact that bans – such as the one Mr Hunt suggests – do not stop abortions but drive them underground and consequently endanger lives.

Each year 25 million women are forced to resort to dangerous methods to end an unintended pregnancy – with the World Health Organisation estimating that each year between 5 and 12 per cent of maternal deaths globally can be attributed to unsafe abortion and the annual cost of treating major complications from unsafe abortion estimated at $553m (£435m).