Thousands of women have had at least FOUR abortions, figures reveal

Nearly 4,000 women have had four or more terminations - and dozens have had eight or more.

The figures were revealed as MPs prepare to vote on whether to lower the upper time limit for social abortions from 24 weeks to 20 - a move which pro-lifers say would cut the number of terminations.

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Campaign leader Nadine Dorries, a Tory MP and former nurse, has tabled an amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill.

Attacking the high number of repeat abortions, she said: 'Abortion has moved from a resource that women turn to in an emergency and a point of crisis to becoming a form of contraception.

"This has been brought about as a result of an ill-conceived notion that it is just a minor procedure with no side or lasting effects - but this is not the case."

The Department of Health figures show that in 2006, 947 women had their fifth abortion, 192 were on their sixth, 110 had their seventh abortion, while 54 had their eight, ninth or tenth abortion.

In total, more than 3,800 women had at least their fourth termination. There were also 82 teenagers who had their third abortion.

Overall, the number of women having repeat abortions has reached record levels. In 2006, 59,687 abortions were carried out in England on women who had already had one in the past.

A third of terminations are now repeats, and the number has gone up by 5 per cent in two years.

Among the under twenties, the number of repeat abortions is rising. In 2006, 5,542 teenagers - or 32 per cent - had had a previous abortion, up from 28 per cent a decade earlier.

Ann Furedi, chief executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, which carries out 55,000 abortions a year, said: "Most women take embarking upon motherhood extremely seriously, which most people would agree is a positive thing. For some women faced with an unintended pregnancy, that will mean having an abortion.

"As last year's abortion statistics show however, the majority of women - 68 per cent - having an abortion were doing so for the first time.

"There is no 100 per cent effective form of contraception and as women's circumstances can change across their reproductive years, more than one abortion may be unavoidable."

Mrs Dorries claims the support of 200 MPs for her 20-week amendment. But to succeed, she would need at least another 200 MPs to abstain.

She says the law should be changed because at some hospitals growing numbers of premature babies are surviving at younger than 24 weeks. But a major national study has concluded that there was no improvement in survival rates for babies born at such a young age.

Health minister Dawn Primarolo said: "Those who are seeking to move the limit from 24 weeks have not made the case in terms of either women's rights or on what the medical profession is advising us on what is possible."