Number of Babies Killed in Abortions in the Channel Islands Drops to Lowest Level Ever

International   |   Sarah Zagorski   |   Jun 30, 2015   |   3:01PM   |   Jersey, Channel Islands

In Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands, abortion rates are lower than ever since the procedure was legalized in 1997, according to Breitbart News. New statistics released from the Health and Social Services Department reveal that there were 163 abortions on the island last year, which is about half the number that occurred when the Termination of Pregnancy law was passed.

The Jersey Evening Post explains that the low abortion rate is not a fluke because from 2013, there was a 10% drop and from 2012 a 30% decrease. Currently England, Wales and Scotland all have higher abortion rates than Jersey. Additionally, abortion among teenagers has decreased in Jersey with only three teens per 1,000 electing abortion in 2014, compared to 4.8 in 2013.

In a statement, Jersey officials commented on the low abortion rates. They said, “In Jersey we have very low teenage conception rates so, consequently there will be fewer terminations for teenagers. There tend to be fewer teenage conceptions in higher socio-economic areas such as Jersey – the UK has a more mixed socio-economic profile so will be higher. The recently published Jersey Schools Survey: A Picture of Health showed that sex education lessons were the main source of information about sex [and] 70% [of students] said they would have the confidence to say no to sex [and] over 75% of 14-15 year olds knew where to get free condoms.”

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Abortion is legal in Jersey up to the 12th weeks of pregnancy if it’s causing a woman “distress” and up to 24-weeks if the child is extremely disabled or the woman’s life is at risk. As LifeNews previously reported, after 20-weeks fetal age abortion is particularly horrific because unborn babies can feel pain.

Former abortionist, Dr. Anthony Levatino, described the abortion procedure after 20-weeks like this: “At twenty-four weeks gestation, the uterus is thin and soft so be careful not to perforate or puncture the walls. Once you have grasped something inside, squeeze on the clamp to set the jaws and pull hard–really hard. You feel something let go and out pops a fully formed leg about six inches long. Reach in again and grasp whatever you can. Set the jaw and pull really hard once again and out pops an arm about the same length. Reach in again and again with that clamp and tear out the spine, intestines, heart and lungs.

He concluded, “The toughest part of a D&E abortion is extracting the baby’s head. The head of a baby that age is about the size of a large plum and is now free floating inside the uterine cavity. You can be pretty sure you have hold of it if the Sopher clamp is spread about as far as your fingers will allow. You will know you have it right when you crush d own on the clamp and see white gelatinous material coming through the cervix. That was the baby’s brains. You can then extract the skull pieces. Many times a little face will come out and stare back at you.”

Here’s more on the low abortion rate in Jersey:

Although according to 2011 census results the population of the Island is only about 98,000, the reduction and proportion of abortions in Jersey is instructive. The report from the Health & Social Services Department, showed that Jersey’s abortion rate of 8.3 operations per 1,000 women was significantly lower than the 16.5 of England & Wales and the 11.0 of Scotland. It is possible to travel to England & Wales from Jersey to have an abortion, but that cannot account for the discrepancy as there were only five recorded examples of that in 2014.

The statistics also record a reduction in Jersey’s under 18-year-old abortion rate – 4.8 operations per 1,000 girls was recorded in 2013, just three per 1,000 in 2014. By way of comparison England & Wales recorded 11.1  per 1,000 under 18-year-olds in 2014.

In 2014, 37 per cent of women in Jersey undergoing abortions had had one or more previous terminations. This is of interest because in order to have an abortion up to 12 weeks into the pregnancy, two doctors must agree it is causing you distress. Abortion is legal up to 24 weeks if the foetus has a severe incurable problem or the mother’s life is in danger. The proportion has steadily increased over recent years with the latest being the same as that seen for England & Wales. Meanwhile, half of all abortions were carried out for single women, with 28 per cent carried out on co-habiting women and 18 per cent carried out for married women.

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