Abortion

An abortion is a medical process undertaken to prevent the birth of a baby, with estimates indicating one in three women will have an abortion in their lifetime. There are many reasons why a woman might decide to have an abortion including:

  • personal circumstances;
  • a health risk to the mother; or
  • a high probability that the baby will have a medical condition.

Key findings for Lancashire

Abortion rate (2021)

  • In Lancashire-12 the total abortion rate[1] (20.3) is higher than the England rate (19.2) and is exhibiting an upward trend.
  • In Blackburn with Darwen (21.8) and Blackpool (26.6) the abortion rate is significantly higher than the England rate and exhibiting an upward trend in Blackpool.
  • In Lancashire-12 (90.0%) the percentage of abortions carried out at less than 10 weeks is significantly higher than the England rate (88.6%). In Blackburn with Darwen (89.0%) and Blackpool (88.0%) the percentage of abortions carried out at less than 10 weeks is similar to the England rate. The earlier abortions are performed the lower the risk of complications. Prompt access to abortion, enabling provision earlier in pregnancy, is also cost-effective and an indicator of service quality.

[1] Rate of abortions per 1,000 female population aged 15-44

Repeat abortions (2021)

  • In Lancashire 12, for women aged under-25 years, 30.1% of abortions are to women who have undergone a previous abortion, compared to 29.7% in England.

Under-18 abortions (2022)

  • In Lancashire-12 (59.5%) and in Blackpool (48.3%) the percentage of under-18s conceptions leading to abortion is similar to the England rate (58.2%). In Blackburn with Darwen (36.2%) the percentage of under-18s conceptions leading to abortion is significantly lower than the England rate. However, as Blackburn with Darwen's percentage of under-18s conceptions leading to abortion is based on a count of 17, this value has a warning to the user that its reliability as a measure may be affected by the small number of events.
  • According to the trend up to 2022, in Lancashire-12, Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool the percentage of under-18s conceptions leading to abortion hasn't changed significantly.
  • In Lancashire-12 (8.7) the under-18s abortions rate (per 1,000 females aged 15-17 years) is significantly higher than the England rate (6.5); in Blackburn with Darwen (5.0) and Blackpool (6.6) the under-18s abortion rate is similar to the England rate (2021).

For county and unitary data and further information please see below

Page updated November 2025