Distribution of ground E legal abortions in England and Wales 2020

Ground E abortions are those performed because of fetal abnormality at any gestation. There was a total of 4,495 ground E abortions in 2020. In 2020, congenital malformations were reported as the principal medical condition in over half of the 4,495 cases undertaken under ground E, with 21 percent of the legal abortions under ground E were performed under the principal medical condition of congenital malformation of the nervous system. Other conditions accounted for 18 percent of ground E abortions, this included cases where the fetus was affected by maternal factors, hydrops fetalis, Cystic Hygroma, multiple gestation, a family history of heritable disorders, and fetal disorders related to gestation and growth. This statistic displays the distribution of Ground E legal abortions in England and Wales in 2020, by principal medical condition.