ABORTION rates are climbing in the UK despite increased access to emergency contraception.
The number of British women aged 15 to 44 opting for abortions rose from 11 per 1000 in 1984 to 18 per 1000 in 2004, even though the morning-after pill has been available over the counter since 2000. Advocates of emergency contraception argue that it helps to lower the risk of unwanted pregnancy, so it ought to have a knock-on effect on abortion rates.
Anna Glasier, a family planning expert at the Lothian Primary Care NHS Trust in Edinburgh, UK, says that while the morning-after pill is…
