Almost one in three pregnancies in the Black Country and Staffordshire in 2021 ended in abortion
Almost a third of pregnancies in the Black Country and Staffordshire two years ago were terminated - the highest number to be recorded in a decade.
There were mixed conception rates in the region as new figures from The Office for National Statistics (ONS) laid bare the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on many women's pregnancy choices in 2021.
In Sandwell, there were 6,266 conceptions, up from 6,019 the year before. Of these 31.7 per cent led to an abortion. However, the conception rate dropped from 93.7 per 1,000 women in 2020 to 89.6 per 1,000 women in 2021.
In Walsall, there were 4,817 conceptions, up from 4,725 the year before. Of these 29.4 per cent led to an abortion. The conception rate dropped from 87.4 per 1,000 women in 2020 to 86.9 per 1,000 women in the same period.
In Wolverhampton, there were 4,811 conceptions in 2021, up from 4,606 the year before. Of these 31.2 per cent led to an abortion. The conception rate dropped from 92.4 per 1,000 women in 2020 to 91.7 per 1,000 women.
However, in Dudley borough and in Staffordshire conception rates were higher. In Dudley, there were 4,777 conceptions in 2021, up from 4,605 the year before. Of these 27.9 per cent led to an abortion. Yet the conception rate rose from 79.9 per 1,000 women in 2020 to 81.3 per 1,000 women.
In Staffordshire, there were 11,042 conceptions, up from 10,773 the year before. Of these 27.8 per cent led to an abortion. The rate rose from 72.9 conceptions per 1,000 women in 2020 to 74.5 conceptions per 1,000 women.
The ONS said the data provided understanding of how the lockdowns and restrictions affected behaviour. Across England and Wales there were nearly 825,000 pregnancies in the same period, rising from 818,000 the previous year. It was the first increase in the number of conceptions in the last six years.
But the rate of conceptions has been declining throughout the same period - from 78.3 per 1,000 women in 2015 to 71.5 per 1,000 women in 2021. Meanwhile, overall 26.5 per cent of pregnancies in England and Wales led to an abortion in 2021.
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service said the pandemic and the Government's response to Covid-19 had a clear impact on families' pregnancy choices.
It stated: "Faced with economic challenges and job insecurity, women and their partners had to make sometimes tough decisions around continuing or ending a pregnancy.
"Unfortunately, financial struggles and a lack of Government support, including the two-child limit on financial assistance, continue to force women to choose between ending an otherwise wanted pregnancy or plunging their families into great hardship."
It added there was no "right number of abortions" and said there is more the Government could do to ensure women made the right decision for themselves when faced with an unplanned pregnancy.
Sian Bradford, ONS child health senior research officer, said: "Despite a higher percentage of abortions, women who were not married or in a civil partnership still have a higher number of conceptions leading to maternity. Further work will be needed to establish whether this marks a change in trend.”
