The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), which provides abortions for more than 100,000 women annually, states on its website that terminating a pregnancy on the grounds of foetal sex is “not specifically prohibited” under UK law, despite government guidance stating otherwise.
Campaigners argue that this advice may put British Indian women at risk of being coerced into aborting female foetuses. Government figures indicate that approximately 400 sex-selective abortions were carried out among women of Indian origin in the five years up to 2021.
Dame Jasvinder Sanghera, a campaigner against forced marriage and dowry practices, said health professionals must act, warning:
“It’s time to stop turning a blind eye because of cultural sensitivities or the fear of being accused of racism.”
BPAS’s website explains:
“The law is silent on the matter. Reason of foetal sex is not a specified ground for abortion within the Abortion Act, but nor is it specifically prohibited.”
This guidance contrasts with the Department of Health’s own advice from 2014, which states:
“Abortion on the grounds of gender alone is illegal. Gender is not itself a lawful ground under the Abortion Act.”
BPAS performs nearly half of all abortions in the UK. In the 2024-25 financial year, the charity reported an income of £64 million, almost entirely from NHS contracts. That year, it delivered 65,014 abortion pills by post and performed 110,078 in-clinic procedures. BPAS operates 52 clinics nationwide, with 99.4 per cent of treatments funded by the NHS.
Sanghera said the number of sex-selective abortions is rising and linked the practice to dowry, describing girls as “immediately becoming a financial burden.”
Catherine Robinson of the anti-abortion group Right to Life UK criticised BPAS’s guidance:
“This is irresponsible because it risks normalising sex-selective terminations and is likely encouraging abortions sought purely because of a baby’s sex. Women would find it harder to push back against pressure to abort a girl.”
Rani Bilkhu, founder of Jeena International, a charity supporting Asian victims of domestic abuse, added:
“Authorities are reluctant to talk about this issue because they fear it might appear racist, but it isn’t. This is lived experience from our communities, and we need to talk about it.”
Government data indicates that the sex ratio for first and second children among women of Indian origin is similar to the national average of 105 boys to 100 girls. However, by the third child, the ratio rises to 113 boys to 100 girls. Between 2017 and 2021, roughly 400 sex-selective abortions targeting female foetuses were estimated to have occurred.
Katie Saxon, a BPAS spokeswoman, defended the guidance:
“Foetal sex is not mentioned in UK abortion law. The reasons women seek abortion care are diverse and complex, and it is vanishingly rare for any woman to seek an abortion on the grounds of foetal sex. However, there are cases such as serious health conditions specific to one sex where foetal sex may form part of decision-making.”
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) reiterated the government’s position:
“Sex-selective abortion is illegal in England and Wales and will not be tolerated. Sex is not a lawful ground for termination, and it is a criminal offence for any practitioner to carry out an abortion for that reason alone. Anyone with evidence of this illegal practice must report it to the police immediately.”
