According to official figures for England and Wales, the number of abortions among girls aged 16 increased by 10% in 2007 to 4,376. According to an article on the BBC, the number of abortions in the under 16s has risen by 27% in the past decade.

Gill Frances, chair of the Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group, said “We need high quality sex and relationships education at school and at home and effective contraception.”

Health Minister Dawn Primarolo said “Contraception plays a vital role in preventing teenage pregnancy and earlier this year I announced a further investment of £26.8m to improve women’s access to contraception and help reduce the number of abortions, repeat abortions and teenage pregnancies”.

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