Pro-life group Right To Life UK has welcomed the government’s decision to end the two-child cap on benefits, arguing that the move should lead to a reduction in the number of abortions being carried out.
An analysis of official abortion statistics by the group suggests that the benefits cap may well have caused more abortions than would otherwise have happened, as women struggled with the cost of having more children.
The cap was first introduced by the Conservative government in 2017 as a cost-saving measure. Between 2016 and 2021 the number of abortions involving women who had already had two or more births (including stillbirths) rose by a quarter in England and Wales. By contrast the number of abortions involving women who had one or no births previously increased by 10 per cent.
A number of church leaders and charities have suggested that the policy has increased the number of children in poverty. The Labour government, which removed the cap in its Budget this week, said it believes 450,000 children will be lifted out of poverty by eliminating the cap.
Further evidence comes in the form of a survey by abortion provider BPAS, which spoke to 240 women with two or more children who had an abortion between March and November 2020.
Half of the women said they were aware of the two-child benefit cap before having their abortion, and 57 per cent of those who were receiving tax credits or universal credit said that the policy was "important in their decision-making around whether or not to continue the pregnancy”.
Many of the women spoken to openly admitted that they had gone through with an abortion for financial reasons.
One said, “I did something I never imagined I would ever do … But at the back of my mind all I kept thinking is how would I have managed financially … I had to do this."
Alisdair Hungerford-Morgan, Chief Executive Officer for Right To Life UK, said the end of the two-child benefit cap was "a significant step in the right direction in terms of improving support for pregnant women".
“When women discover they are pregnant, they should be met with the practical help and support they need to continue their pregnancy, not told that they will receive less financial support for their next child than for their previous children," he said.
The end of the cap has also been welcomed by Christians Against Poverty, with CEO Stewart McCulloch saying that more needs to be done to tackle the scourge of poverty.
“Ending the two-child limit is an investment in the nation’s future citizens, workforce and well-being. It is a recognition that you cannot build a strong country or economy on the shaky foundations of child poverty," he said.
"This decision gives parents the breathing space they need to focus on parenting, rather than panicking about the next bill.”
He added, “However, there are still significant gaps in moves towards proper welfare reform that would guarantee households have a basic level of income to be able to afford the most basic essentials.”
