PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Developing Countries: Abortion (9 May 2019)

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March 2019 to Question 231428, since what year his Department has used that single source of data on illegal abortions overseas; and what the cost to the public purse has been of tackling illegal abortions overseas in 2019.

Asked by:
Sir John Hayes (Conservative)

The UK Government uses a range of data sources and publications to inform our policy on how to tackle unsafe abortion, as cited in our published position. The UK Government has used and reported on the Guttmacher Institute estimates in our Single Departmental Plan Family Planning sector page since July 2018.

DFID’s bilateral and multi-country programmes take an integrated approach in order to meet a wide range of women’s reproductive health needs. For example, providing a woman with holistic care for gender-based violence, HIV counselling, safe-abortion care and information on family planning. Because of the integrated nature of this work, it is not possible to provide a break-down of funding on safe abortion services alone. The aim of the UK Government’s work on sexual and reproductive health and rights overseas is to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions, increase the use of voluntary family planning, and give women control over their own bodies and lives.

Answered by:
Dr Andrew Murrison (Conservative)
16 May 2019