PRESS RELEASE: Racialised Narratives Are Being Used to Undermine Reproductive Healthcare

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Headline:

London, 18 January 2026]

Recent tabloid coverage claiming a surge in “sex-selective abortions” in the UK is misleading and is being used as a wedge issue to undermine abortion rights and stoke social division. These portrayals sensationalise demographic data and unfairly target specific communities instead of presenting verified evidence about reproductive healthcare.

What the official data actually shows

In 2023, there were 277,970 abortions in England and Wales.
87% were medical abortions, which overwhelmingly take place very early in pregnancy.
The vast majority of these procedures happen well before it is medically possible to determine the sex of a foetus — making claims about “sex selection” fundamentally implausible.
72% (around 200,745) of all abortions in 2023 were medical abortions carried out at home using mifepristone and misoprostol, demonstrating safe, evidence-based care.
Government analyses of sex ratios at birth show the natural biological range is around 105 boys per 100 girls.
For 2015–2019, official statistics found no evidence of sex-selective abortion occurring at scale.
From 2017–2021, the overall UK ratio remained within the normal range.
One narrow subgroup showed a higher ratio, but this was based on statistical inference, not clinical records.
- No individual cases were documented as abortions performed because of foetal sex.

Importantly:

The UK does not record abortion motivation by sex of the foetus.
Abortion based solely on the sex of the foetus is illegal under UK law, as it does not meet the criteria of the Abortion Act 1967.
There are no confirmed clinical cases of sex-selective abortion.

Statement

“This is a manufactured and racist moral panic,” said Kerry Abel, Chair of Abortion Rights.

“In 2023, nearly nine out of ten abortions happened so early that it would have been impossible to know the sex of the foetus. The facts completely undermine the scare stories being pushed in the media. What is happening is the weaponisation of race and culture to justify attacks on reproductive healthcare. These narratives don’t protect women or girls — they stigmatise communities and threaten access to safe, legal abortion for everyone.”

Why this matters

This narrative is being used to weaponise race and generate fear in order to undermine reproductive healthcare. The framing: