London, England (AHN)-Abortions have reached record levels in the U.K., and nearly a third of women who have an abortion have had one or more before. Department of Health statistics reveal that abortions in England and Wales rose by more than 700 in 2005, from 185,713 in 2004 to 186,416.

According to the statistics, more than 1,000 girls under 15 had an abortion, an increase of 4.7 percent in a year. Meanwhile, some 31 percent of women had one or more previous abortions, a figure that rises to 43 percent among black British women.

The figures come amid calls from a cross-party group of MPs for a rethink on the abortion time limit.

Patrick Leahy, spokesman for Student LifeNet, the pro-life group, tells the Daily Telegraph, "This record high number of abortions is undoubtedly due to a dramatic increase in the number of early abortions. For 2005, abortions under 10 weeks accounted for 66.5 percent of the total number compared to 60.2 percent in 2004. This is surely due to dubious Government policies aimed at making access to early abortion even easier."

Leahy goes on to say, "At the same time, the percentage of late abortions is rapidly declining...This reduction reflects the public's increased concern about the abortion time limit. The Government's refusal to allow parliamentary time on this issue is leaving them increasingly isolated and out-of-touch."

According to the report, nearly 8,000 abortions for residents of other countries-principally Northern Ireland (15 percent) and Ireland (70 percent)-were carried out in hospitals and clinics in England and Wales.

Anne Weyman, chief executive of the Family Planning Association, says, "These latest abortion figures highlight the urgent need to improve NHS contraceptive services, which have for decades been treated as the Cinderella service of sexual health. When a woman does not get the contraceptive method that is right for her, she is more likely to have an unplanned pregnancy."