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Abortion data

Ian Tyes made this Freedom of Information request to Department of Health

The request was partially successful.

From: Ian Tyes

16 March 2009

Dear Sir or Madam,

Thank you for the information on abortion statistics, but it missed
one vital piece - what was the relationship background of the
'mother'?

Was she single, married, in a relationship with the 'father', one
night stand etc.

Also it would be very useful if you could break the information
down by family background - was the 'mother' herself a child of a
single mother, single father or married parents?

Please could you supply a copy of the blank form that 'mothers'
complete when applying for an abortion and then I can stop asking
for background information that does not exist!

Yours faithfully,

Ian Tyes

Link to this

Department of Health

17 March 2009

Thank you for your enquiry.

We aim to respond within 20 working days.
If there is likely to be any delay we will contact you to let you know.

show quoted sections

Link to this

Department of Health

3 April 2009

DE398391 HSA4 2006.pdf
1.2M Download View as HTML

3 April 2009
DE00000398391
Dear Mr Tyes,

Thank you for your email of 16 March requesting, under the Freedom of
Information Act, information relating to abortion statistics. Your email
has been passed to me for reply.
The Department is only aware of one previous request that you have made
concerning abortion statistics (Our ref: DE392726). At this time, you
requested:
`the breakdown by gender of abortions in England and Wales in 1988, 1993,
1998, 2003 and 2008 or nearest year for which records are kept.
I understand that many abortions may be of indeterminate gender, but I am
interested to know particularly for abortions where the gender has been
communicated to the parents, in other words, where abortions occurred
after the first scan, normally around 8-12 weeks after conception.'
We have no record of having received a request from you regarding the
marital status and family background of women who have abortions, and it
would therefore be helpful if you could clarify these points and as to
what information you require. If they happen to be of relevance, you may
wish to refer to marital status figures for 2007, found in tables 2 and 3,
on the Department's website at:
[1]www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsStatistics/DH_085508.
You also request a copy of the form that women complete when seeking an
abortion. The Department does not hold such a form and it is worth noting
that any forms completed by the patient would be held in their medical
record. However, under the Abortion Act, doctors are required to send a
notification to the Chief Medical Officer after an abortion is performed,
and abortion data is then derived from these notifications. I have
attached a sample copy of such a form for your information.
I hope this reply is helpful.
If you have any queries about this email, please contact me. Please
remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the
right to ask for an internal review. Internal review requests should be
submitted within two months of the date of receipt of the response to your
original letter and should be addressed to:

Head of the Freedom of Information Team
Department of Health
Room 317
Richmond House
79 Whitehall,
London
SW1A 2NS

Email: [2][email address]

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may apply
directly to the Information Commissioner (ICO) for a decision. Generally,
the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints
procedure provided by the Department. The ICO can be contacted at:

The Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Yours sincerely,

David Winks
Customer Service Centre
Department of Health

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References

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1. http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsands...
2. mailto:[email address]