300 abortions carried out on Island in two years after law change

First set of data released since legalisation of terminations on Island

Three hundred abortions were carried out on the Isle of Man between 2020 and 2021.

Those statistics are the first to be published since abortion became legal on the Island in 2019.

The Isle of Man Abortion Reform Act makes it legal for women to have a termination up to 24 weeks gestation.

This can be carried out during the first 14 weeks, should they choose, and from 15 weeks onwards with medical opinion.

There is a legal obligation to notify the director of public health of all abortions carried out on the Island.

The Abortion Report 2020 and 2021, which was published in August this year, is the first set of analysed data available from two full years. 

Public Health Isle of Man

Data shows the number of Manx women needing to go to England or Wales for the procedure, be that medical or surgical, dropping dramatically.

The number of Manx residents having legal abortions have also increased with them now being available on-Island. 

In 2020 there were 137 abortions notified in the Isle of Man and in 2021 there were 163. 

Ten years prior to that, in 2010, 128 women travelled off Island for a legal abortion in either England or Wales.

In 2020 the age group with the highest number of abortions in the Isle of Man was 25-29 - 96 per cent were carried out at fewer than 14 weeks gestation.

A year later, in 2021, the highest number of abortions were carried out for women aged 20-24 - and the ratio was 239 out of 1,000 live births, with 99 per cent carried out in the first 14 weeks.

In both years the majority of women said it was their first abortion.

There were no abortions performed at 23 weeks in either 2020 or 2021.

Future reports, Public Health says, will 'aim to include three-year trend analyses on this data as a method of analysing longer-term trends, whilst reducing the impact of expected fluctuations involved in small numbers.'

You can find the full report HERE.