Shocking number of abortions following IVF
Filed under: IVF — Alan @ 1:55 pm
Medical professionals as well as the general public have been shocked to discover that an average of 80 abortions per year are carried out by women in England and Wales who were pregnant through IVF.
Figures released by the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) under the Freedom of Information Act show that about 6.5% of women who underwent IVF, either privately funded or paid for by NHS, terminated their pregnancies for various reasons.
The reasons for the high incidence of abortions are being called into question by the HFEA and by doctors at fertilization clinics as well as family planning and health organizations. A large percentage of women who chose to abort their pregnancy were in the 18 to 34 age group, suggesting that their reasons for termination were probably not related to health issues.
The law in Britain says that in general, abortion is justified only if there is serious risk for the mother or the foetus if the pregnancy continues to birth. Former MP Anne Widdecombe said that if the law were construed properly, women would not be able to obtain a legal abortion unless those criteria applied. She feels that many of the reported abortions are for social reasons rather than health concerns.
It is obvious that no IVF pregnancy is ‘unplanned’, and the process can cost thousands of pounds if undertaken privately rather than through NHS, so it’s not a procedure to be taken lightly.
However, some women say they were pressured into having the treatment, or the relationship with a spouse or partner somehow failed along the way. In some cases, the goal is simply to get pregnant, with no real understanding of the ultimate consequences.
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