Rise of 32% over a decade in teenagers terminating pregnancies

THE number of teenagers having abortions in Scotland has risen by almost a third in a decade.

Figures from ISD Scotland, an NHS statistical support service, showed a rise in the number of under-16s having abortions – from 336 in 1997 to 442 in 2007.

Women aged under 20 had 3,725 abortions in 2007, compared with 2,884 in 1997.

And the number of woman under the age of 20 giving birth fell from 5,975 to 5,658.

"Over the years there has been a change in the balance between teenage conceptions which are aborted and those which continue to delivery," the report said. "In the under-18 and under-20 age groups the rate of abortion has risen slightly but still remains considerably lower than the delivery rate.

"In the under-16 age group the abortion rate has been higher than the delivery rate since 2001."

The Scottish Government has said it aims to reduce the pregnancy rate in under-16s by 20 per cent, taking it from 8.5 per 1,000 in 1995 to 6.8 next year.

The most recent figures from 2007 put the rate at 8.1 per 1,000 – the same as in 2006.