Barking and Dagenham has the highest rate of abortions in the country last year, according to NHS figures published today.
The figures show there were 1,238 terminations carried out on women from the borough in 2017, of which 47per cent were classed as repeat procedures for a patient who had a previous abortion.
This equates to a rate of 26.7 for every 1,000 women aged 15-44 living in Barking and Dagenham – the highest in England.
The rate for the whole of England is 16.5.
The abortion rate in the borough is highest among women aged 18 to 19 and lowest for those aged under 18.
Most abortions in Barking and Dagenham were carried out in the first ten weeks of pregnancy, 71pc. Just 15pc were done after 13 weeks.
Abortions can be carried out by a surgical operation or by taking a drug. The medical route is more common than surgery in Barking and Dagenham.
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