Abortion Statistics in England and Wales
Figures released by the Office for National Statistics in June show a record 214 869 abortions took place in England and Wales last year. (The numbers for Scotland and Northern Ireland were not available at that time.) This shows an increase of nearly 4000 from 2020 and is the highest annual toll on innocent babies since the introduction of the Abortion Act of 1967.
The statistics show that 625 008 live births were recorded, and 214 869 abortions, which indicates how significant is the proportion of abortions. These are dreadful and horrifying numbers which would suggest that abortion is now being used as simply a form of birth control. An indication of this is that taking abortion-inducing drugs at home, without visiting a hospital or clinic, was the most common procedure, accounting for 52% of abortions in 2021.
1Quoted in E Stillingfleet, The Doctrines and Practices of the Church of Rome, Edinburgh, 1845 edn, pp 140,143.
One would think that no woman would take abortion lightly, but the statistics show a fearful upward trend. One positive statistic is that abortion rates for those aged under 18 have declined significantly over the last ten years (from 15.0 per thousand females in that age group in 2011 to 6.4 per thousand in 2021) and even more so far for the under-16 age group (down to approximately 1 per thousand). In 2021 82% of abortions were for women whose marital status was given as single, a proportion that has remained roughly constant for the last ten years.
All these numbers speak volumes about the state of the nation’s moral standards – in particular, the disregard of the Seventh Commandment and of marriage. FRD
Overturning of US Supreme Court Ruling on Abortion
On June 24 the United States Supreme Court overturned its 1973 ruling on the Roe v Wade case, which stated that governments lacked the power to prohibit abortions and that a woman’s right to terminate her pregnancy was protected by the US Constitution. The Court’s recent opinion (and such a wholesale reversal of its own legal precedent is extremely rare) said that the constitution does not mention abortion and that abortion “rights” are not included in the constitutional “right to liberty”.
The ruling does not mean that abortion is banned throughout the US. Rather, arguments about the legality of abortion will return to state legislatures for them to make their own decisions. While those in favour of abortion are denouncing the ruling, 26 conservative states are likely to introduce new abortion restrictions or bans. Thus the lives of many unborn children, who would otherwise be murdered in the womb, will be spared. FRD
Monkeypox
Monkeypox is a viral disease, related to smallpox, and first identified in 1958. It is uncommon in the Western world, but since May there has been an outbreak in the homosexual community in Britain and other European countries. By the end of June there were 6000 confirmed cases worldwide, with over 1300 in the UK, and the numbers seem to be increasing rapidly. The disease is seldom fatal among adults, and resolves after a few weeks, but it can be very painful. Its rapid spread is related to the appalling promiscuity accompanying “Pride” marches.
Once again the Lord is speaking pointedly to the nation about the great evil of homosexuality, which is often condemned in His Word, in both the Old and the New Testaments. It is estimated that 1.5 million people attended the recent “London Pride” event, and one media outlet carried favourable comments from eight former British prime ministers in support of the event
on its fiftieth anniversary. The “Pride” marches are an open declaration of defiance against God and His law, with men glorifying in their sins and in the fact that these sins have been made legal. Monkeypox is yet another call to Britain to repent of this and other evils.
DWBS
Boris Johnson’s Resignation
After less than three years in office as British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has intimated his resignation. Especially over recent weeks, he has faced repeated accusations of lying and a general lack of integrity. Most people would expect those in positions of leadership to be honest, especially leaders of nations. Yet it should not surprise us to find a lack of honesty in an ungodly nation, as the UK is today. A nation that has forsaken the Bible and the God of the Bible will inevitably reject the moral code of the Bible.
Yes, many people expect others to keep to elements of that moral code – as politicians and journalists have recently been decidedly vocal in their accusations, against the Prime Minister, of lying. His repeated adultery has attracted much less attention. And how little is said against the widespread slaughter of unborn children, as legalised by Parliament. It has to be confessed of many MPs and many individuals in the nation as a whole (as well as in other nations) that “they have rejected the word of the Lord; and what wisdom is in them?” (Jer 8:9). What need for prayer for an outpouring of the Spirit everywhere, for a time when there will be very many godly leaders, and for God’s blessing on the next prime minister in particular!