Latest news with #KatherineOBrien
The Guardian
09-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Number of abortions in England and Wales hit record levels in 2022
The number of abortions in England and Wales has reached record levels, with a leading provider stating that women are facing 'significant barriers' in access to contraception. Almost three in 10 conceptions ended in legal abortions in the two nations in 2022, up from about two in 10 a decade earlier, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The percentage of conceptions leading to legal abortion – which has been increasing for all age groups since 2015 – was 29.7% in 2022, up from 26.5% a year earlier and 20.8% in 2012. There were 247,703 conceptions leading to a legal abortion in 2022, a 13.1% rise on the 218,923 recorded in 2021. Separate government figures relating to 2022 that were published last year showed the number of abortions for women living in England and Wales had risen by almost a fifth in a year. There were 251,377 abortions for women resident in the two nations in 2022, according to figures from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), which was the highest since the Abortion Act was introduced almost 60 years ago and a rise of 17% on the 2021 figure. Katherine O'Brien, from the British Pregnancy Advisory Services (Bpas), said women were struggling to access contraception as well as facing increasing financial pressures because of the cost of living crisis. 'Women are facing significant barriers when trying to access contraception, including long wait times and difficulties securing appointments,' she said. 'At Bpas, we regularly hear from women who are seeking an abortion after falling pregnant while waiting for repeat pill prescriptions or coil insertions.' A Bpas report last year found that 49% of women in the UK face barriers to contraception, with long wait times posing particular difficulty. O'Brien added that interest rate hikes and increases in the cost of living in 2022 might have forced couples to make 'sometimes tough decisions around continuing or ending a pregnancy'. 'No woman should have to end a pregnancy she would otherwise have continued purely for financial reasons, and no woman should become pregnant because our healthcare system is failing to provide women with the contraception they want, when they need it,' she said. The ONS figures show that girls aged under 16 remained the age group with the highest percentage of conceptions leading to abortion, at 61.0%, while women aged between 30 and 34 years old had the lowest percentage of conceptions leading to abortion in 2022, at about a fifth, or 20.5%. Women in their early 30s were the age group with the highest number of conceptions at 249,991. Women aged over 40 years had a conception rate of 17.2 per 1,000 women in 2022, slightly below the record high of 17.3 per 1,000 women in 2021, according to the ONS. O'Brien called on the government to reclassify emergency contraception to enable it to be sold in more places. 'Emergency contraception, while not a silver bullet to unplanned pregnancy rates, remains an underutilised resource in this country, with the majority of women not accessing this vital back-up method after an episode of unprotected sex,' she said. 'The government has committed to improving access via pharmacies, but we need to see this medication reclassified so that it can be sold in a wider range of outlets, including supermarkets, so that women can access it as swiftly as possible when needed.'
The Independent
09-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Figures show record high of almost three in 10 conceptions ending in abortion
The percentage of conceptions leading to legal abortions in England and Wales has reached a record high, according to official statistics. Almost three in 10 conceptions ended in legal abortions in the two nations in 2022, up from around two in 10 a decade earlier. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the percentage of conceptions leading to legal abortion was 29.7% in 2022, up from 26.5% a year earlier and 20.8% in 2012. The percentage has generally been increasing for all age groups since 2015, the statistics body said. There were 247,703 conceptions leading to a legal abortion in 2022, a 13.1% rise on the 218,923 recorded in 2021. The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas) said lengthy waiting times for some forms of contraception as well as financial struggles faced by many could explain the rise. Girls aged under 16 remained the age group with the highest percentage of conceptions leading to abortion, at 61.0%. Women aged between 30 and 34 years old had the lowest percentage of conceptions leading to abortion in 2022, at around a fifth or 20.5%. The age group with the highest number of conceptions was women in their early 30s, at 249,991. Women aged over 40 years had a conception rate of 17.2 per 1,000 women in 2022, slightly below the record high of 17.3 per 1,000 women in 2021, the ONS said. Katherine O'Brien, from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas), said women are facing 'significant barriers' in access to contraception, including long waiting times and difficulties securing appointments. She added: 'At Bpas, we regularly hear from women who are seeking an abortion after falling pregnant while waiting for repeat Pill prescriptions or coil insertions. 'Emergency contraception, while not a silver bullet to unplanned pregnancy rates, remains an underutilised resource in this country, with the majority of women not accessing this vital back-up method after an episode of unprotected sex. 'The Government has committed to improving access via pharmacies, but we need to see this medication reclassified so that it can be sold in a wider range of outlets, including supermarkets, so that women can access it as swiftly as possible when needed.' She also noted interest rate hikes and increases in cost of living in 2022, which she said might have led to women and their partners having to make 'sometimes tough decisions around continuing or ending a pregnancy'. She added: 'No woman should have to end a pregnancy she would otherwise have continued purely for financial reasons, and no woman should become pregnant because our healthcare system is failing to provide women with the contraception they want, when they need it.' The proportion of conceptions ending in legal abortion in 2022 varied in different parts of the country, the data shows. Across all age groups, the figure was highest in north-west England (32.6%) and lowest in eastern England (27.3%). But the gap was much larger among younger age groups, with the figures for 16-17 year-olds ranging from 48.2% of conceptions in Yorkshire/Humber to 66.2% in London. Among 18-19 year-olds, the proportion ranges from 48.1% of conceptions in north-east England to 62.6% in London. The lowest regional percentages were in the 30-34 age group, where the figure dipped as low as 18.5% for eastern England and 18.0% for south-west England. At a local level, Liverpool and Brighton & Hove had the joint highest proportion of conceptions ending in legal abortion in 2022 across all ages (40.3%), followed by the London borough of Lambeth (38.4%) and Halton in Cheshire (38.1%). East Cambridgeshire had the lowest percentage (18.6%), followed by South Cambridgeshire (20.0%), Bolsover in Derbyshire (20.2%) and Mid Suffolk (21.0%). Government statistics published last year covering 2022 showed the number of abortions for women living in England and Wales was at a record level, having risen by almost a fifth in a year. There were 251,377 abortions for women resident in the two nations in 2022, official figures from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) showed. This was the highest number since the Abortion Act was introduced almost 60 years ago and was a rise of 17% on the 2021 figure, the department said. Taking medications at home, known as telemedicine, was the most common procedure, accounting for 61% of all abortions in 2022. This was up nine percentage points since 2021, the DHSC said. Temporary measures put in place during the pandemic approving the use of both pills for early medical abortion at home, without the need to first attend a hospital or clinic, were made permanent in England and Wales in 2022.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New data show record high of almost three in 10 conceptions ending in abortion
The percentage of conceptions leading to legal abortions in England and Wales has reached a record high, according to official statistics. Almost three in 10 conceptions ended in legal abortions in the two nations in 2022, up from around two in 10 a decade earlier. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the percentage of conceptions leading to legal abortion was 29.7% in 2022, up from 26.5% a year earlier and 20.8% in 2012. The percentage has generally been increasing for all age groups since 2015, the statistics body said. There were 247,703 conceptions leading to a legal abortion in 2022, a 13.1% rise on the 218,923 recorded in 2021. The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas) said lengthy waiting times for some forms of contraception as well as financial struggles faced by many could explain the rise. Girls aged under 16 remained the age group with the highest percentage of conceptions leading to abortion, at 61.0%. Women aged between 30 and 34 years old had the lowest percentage of conceptions leading to abortion in 2022, at around a fifth or 20.5%. Women in their early 30s were the age group with the highest number of conceptions at 249,991. Women aged over 40 years had a conception rate of 17.2 per 1,000 women in 2022, slightly below the record high of 17.3 per 1,000 women in 2021, the ONS said. Katherine O'Brien, from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas), said women are facing 'significant barriers' in access to contraception, including long waiting times and difficulties securing appointments. She added: 'At Bpas, we regularly hear from women who are seeking an abortion after falling pregnant while waiting for repeat Pill prescriptions or coil insertions. 'Emergency contraception, while not a silver bullet to unplanned pregnancy rates, remains an underutilised resource in this country, with the majority of women not accessing this vital back-up method after an episode of unprotected sex. 'The Government has committed to improving access via pharmacies, but we need to see this medication reclassified so that it can be sold in a wider range of outlets, including supermarkets, so that women can access it as swiftly as possible when needed.' She also noted interest rate hikes and increases in cost of living in 2022, which she said might have led to women and their partners having to make 'sometimes tough decisions around continuing or ending a pregnancy'. She added: 'No woman should have to end a pregnancy she would otherwise have continued purely for financial reasons, and no woman should become pregnant because our healthcare system is failing to provide women with the contraception they want, when they need it.' Government statistics published last year covering 2022 showed the number of abortions for women living in England and Wales was at a record level, having risen by almost a fifth in a year. There were 251,377 abortions for women resident in the two nations in 2022, official figures from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) showed. This was the highest number since the Abortion Act was introduced almost 60 years ago and was a rise of 17% on the 2021 figure, the department said. Taking medications at home, known as telemedicine, was the most common procedure, accounting for 61% of all abortions in 2022. This was up nine percentage points since 2021, the DHSC said. Temporary measures put in place during the pandemic approving the use of both pills for early medical abortion at home, without the need to first attend a hospital or clinic, were made permanent in England and Wales in 2022.
Globe and Mail
14-05-2025
- Health
- Globe and Mail
Noted Vaccine Researcher and Leader Kate O'Brien Awarded Sabin's Gold Medal; Physician Livancliff Mbianke of Cameroon Receives Rising Star Award
WASHINGTON, May 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Sabin Vaccine Institute today awarded the Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal to pediatrician Katherine O'Brien, MD, MPH, for her research on the pneumococcal vaccine and leadership in global vaccine research and access, and its Rising Star Award to dedicated physician and public health specialist Livancliff Mbianke, MD, MPH, of Cameroon. The awards were presented at a ceremony in the National Academy of Sciences building in Washington D.C. O'Brien is a pioneering global health leader whose innovative work in vaccine access and policy has transformed immunization programs worldwide. 'I am honored to award the Sabin Gold Medal to Dr. O'Brien for her extensive scientific and humanitarian work, which has significantly contributed to the development, licensure, and global distribution of critical immunizations,' says Amy Finan, Sabin's chief executive officer. 'The breadth and scope of her work — in addition to her leadership in advancing the availability of vaccines for everyone, everywhere — has saved millions of lives around the world.' O'Brien's interest in vaccines and preventable illness began during her early career as a research pediatrician in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where almost a third of children admitted to the hospital she worked at died, often from vaccine-preventable diseases. Returning to the U.S. to pursue her infectious disease fellowship, Master of Public Health, and training as an epidemiologist, she then worked for the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health and led groundbreaking clinical trials on the pneumococcal vaccine to establish the vaccine's performance and impact on both disease and on colonization to achieve both individual and population-level protection. O'Brien was appointed Director of Infectious Disease at the Center and led research on vaccine development and implementation for vaccine-preventable diseases disproportionately affecting Indigenous populations. Her work in large-scale vaccine impact studies and clinical trials has been instrumental in the licensure, introduction and global use of vaccines against pneumococcal disease, rotavirus, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). . O'Brien continued her leadership in vaccine development, access, and research in her position as the Executive Director of the International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She has served on WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) and on the board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, where she has influenced vaccine financing, policy development, and global immunization strategies. In her current role as Director, Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals for the World Health Organization (WHO), O'Brien leads the global vaccine and immunization strategy. She oversees WHO's work across the vaccine continuum by accelerating new vaccine research and development, advancing vaccine access and equity, introducing new vaccines into country programs, identifying and responding to outbreaks including as WHO's vaccine technical lead during the COVID-19 pandemic, and strengthening immunization program reach in order to maximize the impact of vaccines, even in the most fragile and vulnerable settings. O'Brien earned her medical degree from McGill University and a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. She completed her pediatric and infectious disease training at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 'I am deeply grateful for a career working with incredible people around the world, and through them to have life-saving impact,' says O'Brien. 'Vaccines are truly one of science's greatest achievements. It is immensely fulfilling to work on vaccines all the way from development through licensure and dissemination, and to then see them protect the lives and well-being of families. This award is a huge honor, and a tribute to those who have taught me the value of evidence-based courage.' Sabin's Rising Star Award is intended to encourage and recognize the next generation of vaccine and immunization leaders. Mbianke is a dedicated physician and public health specialist whose work in vaccine access and strengthening health systems has made a profound impact on underserved communities. With expertise in immunization, maternal and child health, and community engagement, Mbianke has played a pivotal role in expanding vaccine coverage and improving health outcomes in Cameroon. 'With his recognized achievements in reducing maternal and child mortality by 50% in remote areas and increasing accessibility of vaccines, Dr. Mbianke is leading innovations around immunization in fragile settings,' says Finan. 'Whether he is delivering vaccines to displaced populations or creating health clinics out of village councils, his creative solutions serve as a model for those working in challenging settings and makes him a Rising Star in global health.' As Program Country Manager for the COMBAT Project (Community-Based Tracking for Immunization) at the International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC), Mbianke leads efforts to enhance immunization delivery by improving community-based monitoring, engagement, and service delivery strategies. He also serves as Technical Advisor for the World Health Organization's 'Big Catch-Up,' a global initiative aimed at restoring vaccine coverage following pandemic-related disruptions. Beyond his advisory roles, Mbianke is the CEO of Empower Women Foundation, where he champions maternal and child health initiatives in Cameroon, advocating for sustainable and locally driven health care solutions. His leadership extends to past roles with WHO, Gavi, USAID, and other global health organizations, where he has contributed to immunization policy formulation and innovative strategies to reach zero-dose and under-immunized children. A graduate of Université de la Montagne Bagante (MD) and Mountain University for Sustainable Studies (MPH), Mbianke combines medical expertise with public health leadership to promote vaccine confidence and equitable access. 'This award is so meaningful,' says Mbianke. 'When you work in settings with such a high burden, sometimes you feel you are not doing enough because you want to improve as many lives as possible. But recognition like the Rising Star award really motivates you. It says you are creating an impact. You are creating a change.' Awarded annually since 1993 and 2020 respectively, the Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal and Rising Star Award honor individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to immunization and global health. These awards commemorate the legacy of the late Dr. Albert B. Sabin, who discovered the oral polio vaccine and dedicated his life to ensuring everyone in the world had access to vaccines. Watch the 2025 Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal and Rising Star ceremony on Sabin's YouTube channel. About the Sabin Vaccine Institute The Sabin Vaccine Institute is a leading advocate for expanding vaccine access and uptake globally, advancing vaccine research and development, and amplifying vaccine knowledge and innovation. Unlocking the potential of vaccines through partnership, Sabin has built a robust ecosystem of funders, innovators, implementers, practitioners, policy makers and public stakeholders to advance its vision of a future free from preventable diseases. As a non-profit with three decades of experience, Sabin is committed to finding solutions that last and extending the full benefits of vaccines to all people, regardless of who they are or where they live. At Sabin, we believe in the power of vaccines to change the world. For more information, visit and follow us on X @SabinVaccine.
