Tinder leads to an increase in abortions – UK minister

The abortion rate in the UK is heading upward fueled by women over 30, and what one UK minister has referred to as “The Tinder generation”.

There were 67,389 abortions for women of 30 and over in 2017 compared with 55,877 in 2007 meaning that this group accounted for a third of all terminations and three times as many as in teenagers.

Conservative Junior Health Minister Jackie Doyle-Price said the accidental pregnancies that lead to these abortions commonly happened when women left a stable relationship and started “playing the field again”.

“These women stop taking the pill, once the relationship ends, but don’t necessarily use other forms of contraception with new partners,” she said.

Doyle-Price was speaking at the Women’s Health Conference in Westminster, London when she referred to the Tinder matchmaking app, which allows users to ‘like’ or ‘dislike’ other users by swiping left or right.

“Latest figures from the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles show that 38% of conceptions among the 35 to 44 age group were unplanned or to women ambivalent about pregnancy,” the minister said.

(Compiled by Warren Robertson)

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