Sir: Dr Goodhart (Letters, 4 April) guesses that 5,000 women
come from abroad each year to obtain private abortions. The Government's guess is less than half of this. On 25 March, Lady Serota said in the House of Lords that 'about fifty women a week from abroad were believed to have had abortions.' On these figures, if London really is the 'abortion capital of Europe,' abortion must be dying out—let's hope so. '
Dr Aspinall (Letters, 4 April) suggests that relprmers believe that 'even more permissive legislation regarding abortion' is required. This is not the view of the Abortion Law Reform Association, which believes that reforming energies ought now to be devoted to ensuring that the Abortion Act is properly and fairly implemented throughout the country.
It is not clear why Dr Aspinall believes that as many abortions are performed in Birming- ham as elsewhere. In the first six months of the Act, Birmingham ranked thirteenth out-of fifteen hospital board regions. During this period, 103 National Health Service abortions per million population were performed there, compared with 261 in East Anglia.
Madeleine Simms Press Officer, Abortion Law Reform Associa- tion, 22 13rewhouse Hill, Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire
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