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<p>The Department’s comparison of statistics on abortion complications in England,
using data from the Abortion Notification System, compared to data on hospital admissions
for abortion complications from Hospital Episode Statistics for the years 2017 to
2021, found that women under 20 years old had the lowest complication rates of any
age group.</p><p>Abortion continues to be a very safe procedure for which major complications
are rare at all gestations. However, it is known that the risk of complications increases
at higher gestations. The Department works closely with NHS England, the Care Quality
Commission, and abortion providers to ensure that abortions are provided safely, in
accordance with the legal framework set by the Abortion Act 1967.</p><p>It is a legal
requirement under the 1967 Abortion Act that the Chief Medical Officer must be notified
of all abortions within 14 days of the procedure. The Department provides the HSA4
abortion notification form for this purpose. HSA4 forms record known complications,
up until the time of the patient’s discharge from the abortion service.</p><p>To consider
the completeness of abortion complications data submitted via abortion notifications,
the Department committed to publishing a one-time analysis comparing data from the
Department’s Abortion Notification System and the Hospital Episode Statistics. This
was published in November 2023. The Department is inviting views on abortion statistics
for England and Wales, including the future publication of abortion complications
data, via an online user engagement survey and via email. We welcome responses from
abortion providers and all interested parties on this matter.</p>
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