There are huge regional differences in abortion rates among teenagers, a new study has shown, with the most deprived areas having the highest teenage conception rates and lowest abortion rates.
Between local authorities the proportion of teenage pregnancies being terminated varies between 76 per cent in one area and 18 per cent in another, says the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report.
Young women’s decisions about abortion depend more on their economic and social circumstances than their moral views. Those who saw their lives as insecure were more likely to view motherhood positively than those who expected their futures to develop through education and employment.
The extent of local family planning and abortion provision, and the proportion of women GPs locally also had an impact on teenage abortion rates, regardless of deprivation levels.
- More at www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/socialpolicy/684.asp
