The rate of abortions is still rising. In the past decade abortions among teenage girls has caused the rate to rise by nearly one third!

Half of all pregnancies among girls under the age of 18 end in abortion.

The Institute for Family Policies collated the figures from those collected by Eurostat, the European Union's statistical body.

The Institute has formally presented the figures to the European Parliament including them in a report on developments in family life.

The six highest European countries are:
Britain - 219,336
France - 209,699
Romania – 150,246
Italy – 126,562
Germany – 116,871
Spain – 112,138

The Institute made the observation that the annual number of abortions in the European Union is the same as the combined population of its 10 smallest member states.

These figures place Britain as fifth in the world for the number of abortions carried out coming behind Russia, USA, India and Japan.

Britain is also the country where most teenage girls have abortions.

The five highest European countries in abortions under the age of 20 are:
Britain – 48,150
France – 31,770
Romania – 17,272
Spain – 15,307
Germany – 14,989

These figures show the tragedy of the Government's Teenage Pregnancy Strategy. Conceptions are certainly not decreasing and abortions are most certainly increasing! This outcome is the complete opposite of what the strategy was to deliver. The Teenage Pregnancy Strategy has cost £300 million to date.

Teenagers who become pregnant are turning to abortion in increasing numbers. The strategy had set a goal of halving the 1998 conception rate in teenagers by 2010. That goal will not be met. It seems the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy, having already spent £300 million has really become an Abortion Strategy and the real price to our nation can never be estimated.