The variety of abortions carried out in England and Wales elevated by 17% in contrast with the identical interval the 12 months earlier than, with a charity citing the price of residing disaster as an element for the steep rise.

Across England and Wales, 123,219 abortions had been carried out between January and June 2022 - up from 105,488 over the identical interval in 2021.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) says it can't see the dramatic rise slowing down given elevated monetary pressures and rising rates of interest.

The newly revealed figures led BPAS chief govt Clare Murphy to name on the federal government to "ensure that women are able to make the decisions that are right for themselves and for their families".

"These figures indicate that in 2022, the cost of living crisis was already having an impact on women's pregnancy choices," she stated.

Financial pressures will likely be additional compounded for households after the Bank of England announced another hike to interest rates on Thursday, making borrowing dearer.

"We are potentially looking at very significant changes in childbearing and family size in the years to come, particularly as women choose to start their families later, limit their family size or simply decide they do not wish, or cannot afford, to have children," Ms Murphy stated.

"We cannot see this changing as we go forward, given the impact of interest rate hikes and the huge increase in cost of living."

This change in strategy to household would require ladies to have additional entry to emergency contraception, Ms Murphy stated.

"It makes absolutely no sense to continue to compel women to undergo a clinically unnecessary consultation which acts as nothing but a barrier to her getting what she needs as quickly as possible," she added.

"It [emergency contraception] needs to be available on the shelf of pharmacies and supermarkets."