RELIGIOUS leaders say a rise in abortion rates in the borough is "very saddening".Catholic priests from churches in Bromley say they are concerned over figures which show that 1,246 abortions took place in 2006, an increase of 98 from the previous year (8.5 per cent).
Father Charles Briggs, from St Mary's Catholic Church, Chislehurst, said: "Any increase in the number of abortions is very saddening, and something the Catholic Church cannot agree with."
In Bexley, there were 975 terminations, a rise of 60 (19 per cent); Greenwich had 1827 cases, which was a fall of 18.
Canon John Watts, of Holy Innocents church in Orpington, said: "The Catholic Church sees life as sacred from the moment of conception to death so this is a teaching that will protect the human person through every stage of his or her development in life. We are concerned that a person be afforded respect and dignity through all their life, and anything that tries to take away from that would be against that teaching."
MPs recently voted down a proposed amendment to the Abortion Act by Conservative MP for Congleton Ann Winterton. Her bill says that women seeking abortion should go through counselling first following a Finnish study that found suicides among women who had abortions was six times higher than among those who had given birth the previous year.
But the proposals were defeated, along with others to reduce the abortion time limit from 24 weeks to 21, and inform parents of girls under 18 seeking abortion.
MP for Bromley and Chislehurst, Bob Neill, who voted in favour of the amendments, said: "A rise in the abortion level is always worrying as it highlights an increased demand for a procedure that is not always the solution to a very complex issue."
"More needs to be done to reduce the level of unplanned pregnancy and I believe that women presenting for an abortion should receive independent counselling so that they are aware of the possible longer term physical and mental ill effects of abortion."
MP for Beckenham, Jacqui Lait, voted against the bill because it would delay abortions.
She said: "It is not a decision that is taken lightly, and if a woman does decide to go ahead, the earlier it is done, the safer it is."
A spokeswoman for the Bromley Secular Humanist group said: "The number of abortions may represent a failure of contraception in some cases, but it does not represent moral failure."We should be grateful that women choose not to have children they do not want, and cannot look after."
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