We were forced to have abortions because we can’t afford a child during the cost of living crisis

Even without a cost of living crisis, the cost of becoming a parent can’t be understated. “Pregnancy and parenthood impact your employment,” says McCudden. “Some people have jobs with maternity leave and better employment rights, but some people aren’t in that kind of work – they’re on zero hours contracts or are self-employed, and people in those kinds of [precarious] jobs are often on the lowest incomes, and are often women.” Even those who are able to go on maternity leave are likely to take a huge financial hit.

McCudden adds that the costs of looking after yourself and your health while pregnant and plans for the future – like buying a house, finding somewhere big enough – as well as the costs of raising a child in general all play a huge part in people deciding whether or not they want to have a child.

Bella*, 26, was living with her partner and his family when she found out she was pregnant. “I was initially in denial,” she tells GLAMOUR. Though she’d had a few pregnancy scares due to late periods, she’d never thought about what it would actually mean to her to get pregnant. “I have such a clear memory from when I was 16 saying to a best friend ‘I don’t think I could ever have an abortion, it just seems too painful. I am going to be so careful when I start having sex,’” she recalls. “But the moment I saw the positive test results I felt like there was no other option.”

Living paycheck to paycheck in her boyfriend’s small family home, and having only just started her career, Bella felt as though she had no real choice. “The idea of maternity leave and knowing people are spending more on childcare than their mortgage at the moment, I couldn’t let myself even consider going ahead with the pregnancy,” she says.

Bella says that while she still sometimes wonders “what if?”, she knows it was the right decision. “The cost-of-living crisis is getting worse and being financially ready to choose to become parents continues to feel further and further away,” she tells GLAMOUR.

While the increase in the number of people seeking abortion isn’t necessarily a bad thing, Murphy believes it is essential women are able to “make the decisions that are right for themselves and for their families.” This means more support from the government and better access to contraception.

In England alone, government spending on STI testing, contraception and treatment decreased by 17% in 2015/16 and 2020/21 as a result of government cuts to local councils. A lack of contraception services means women are less able to make the choices that are right for them, contributing to a rise in abortions. “We need contraception services that meet women’s requirements, including better access to emergency contraception as a matter of urgency,” said Murphy. “It makes absolutely no sense to continue to compel women to undergo a clinically unnecessary consultation which acts as nothing but a barrier to her getting what she needs as quickly as possible.”

The government could also introduce economic measures to help everyone, not just those starting families, adds McCudden, “whether that’s increasing people’s wages, or cost of living support and policies that will help decrease the price of rents and mortgages.”

At the end of the day, there is no right or wrong number of abortions and an increase in abortions alone shouldn’t be treated as a negative thing. However, if the cost of living crisis and financial instability, coupled with a contraception crisis, is forcing people to make choices they wouldn’t have otherwise, it’s clear that something needs to change.