Daily Mirror - 05.03.2020

(^18) DAILY MIRROR THURSDAY 05.03.
DM1ST
24%
of females who fell
pregnant in 2018 chose
to have a termination,
up from 22.7% in 2017
1%
Fall in the number
of women becoming
pregnant since 2017, the
lowest level since 2004
40+
For third year running
this was the only age
group where rates of
conception increased
target Andros Townsend
Racist abuse
football fan
gets 3yr ban
An Everton supporter who
racially abused Crystal Pal-
ace star Andros Townsend
as he took a corner, has
been banned from football
matches for three years.
Lidl boss Darran Chad-
wick, 39, was seen rushing
to the pitch in the Premier
League game last August
and screeching: “You black
c” at the winger.
The former Everton
steward, who had three
ciders before the kick-off at
Selhurst Park, claimed he
shouted: “You diving c.”
But the dad-of-one, of
Knowsley, Merseyside, was
convicted of racially aggra-
vated harassment by
Croydon magistrates.
Chadwick was also fined
£1,050, with £625 costs and
ordered to pay a £
victim surcharge.
By tony palmer
Abortion
rates hit
new high
off. Clare Murphy, director of external
affairs, said: “We’ve seen an increasingly
cautious approach, likely to be driven by
factors from the two-child limit to Brexit.”
The Government’s policy of limiting
welfare benefits to two children prevents
parents from seeking extra funding for a
third child, if born after April 2017.
Last summer, a report by the Church
of England and the Child Poverty Action
Group showed the policy had affected
600,000 kids. Changes arising from
Britain leaving the EU cast more doubt.
Figures also show the number of under-
18s falling pregnant has dropped for the
11th year running – with this age group
the most likely to turn to abortion.
OnS’s David Corps said: “Although
conception rates for women under 18
years have more than halved in the last
decade, they remain twice as high in
more deprived areas. However, a smaller
proportion lead to abortions for under-
18s living in more deprived areas.”
Fewer women are falling pregnant,
with a drop of almost 1% from 2017 – the
lowest since 2004. For a third year in a
row, women aged 40 and over were the
only group where conception rates rose.
Jonathan Lord, medical director of
Marie Stopes UK, which provides nHS-
funded abortion care, said: “Women are
choosing to have fewer children.”
One mum-of-two, who had an abor-
tion and got support from BPAS, said: “I
had significant antenatal anxiety. I
couldn’t cope with another pregnancy.”
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@DailyMirror
Cost of child-rearing is concern
Abortion rates have hit a record
high in England and Wales as women
are becoming more conscious of the
costs of bringing up a child.
Office for national Statistics figures
show 24% of females who fell pregnant
in 2018 chose a termination.
Up from 22.7% the previous year, it
was the highest percentage since
records began 30 years ago.
Abortion care charity BPAS suggests
financial concerns are putting women
questions
Getting advice
from a doctor
Picture posed
by models
By eleanor perkins