As abortion figures in England and Wales hit a record high on Thursday, the Alive and Kicking Alliance called on Parliament to reject attempts to further liberalise the abortion law and to instead embrace measures to bring down the spiralling rates that have made Britain the abortion capital of Europe.

Whilst abortions in England and Wales have reached 200,000 a year for the first time, a group of MPs is attempting to further liberalise the abortion law in the report stage of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (HFE)Bill by scrapping the requirement for two doctors' signatures. They also want to change the law to allow nurses and midwives to carry out abortions and bring in abortion facilities at GP surgeries, polyclinics and cottage hospitals.

Alive and Kicking's spokesman Julia Millington called the MPs' attempts "astounding".

"This new move flies in the face of public opinion which has turned dramatically in recent years," she said.

She pointed to research showing 80 per cent of the population believe that ways should be found of reducing Britain's abortion rate. Two out of three people, including three out of four women, and two out of three doctors, she said, support a reduction in the 24-week upper legal limit.

"With reports of some women now having up to eight abortions is very clear that many are using abortion simply as a form of contraception - and that the government's tired formula of condoms, coils and abortion is doing nothing to stem the tide," said Ms Millington.

"Rather than making abortion even more widely available by allowing nurse-led medical abortion in polyclinics and GP surgeries, Parliament should be looking for legislative and social change which brings abortion rates down."

Ms Millington said that the high number of abortions being performed on grounds of risk to a mother's health - 97 per cent, including 99.5 per cent of these on mental health grounds - indicated that there was "clearly widespread flouting of the law by doctors".

She referred to a statement issued by the Royal College of Psychiatrists in March which said that there was no clear evidence that psychiatric grounds for abortion even exist and that some studies indicate that having an abortion actually poses a serious risk to a woman's mental health.

"Abortions are clearly being carried out, not for health reasons as prescribed by the law, but purely on grounds of unwanted pregnancy, failed contraception, social inconvenience or economic difficulty masquerading as risk to the mother's mental health," said Ms Millington.

"At very least Parliament should be ensuring that the existing law, which is intended to provide some protection for the unborn child, is properly upheld and obeyed."

The Alive and Kicking Alliance includes CARE, Christian Concern for our Nation, the Christian Medical Fellowship, the Evangelical Alliance, the Guild of Catholic Doctors, the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship, and Maranatha. Together, they are seeking a substantial reduction in the 24-week upper limit, an end to discriminatory abortion for disabled babies, and the introduction of a charter of consent, so that women with unplanned pregnancies have the time, space, information and support necessary to make a fully informed choice.

"Many women feel they have not choice but abortion, or end their pregnancies because of covert or overt pressure from partners, friends or family members," said Ms Millington.

She said Alive and Kicking would continue to monitor voting patterns carefully.

"There are many marginal seats nationally, across the political divide, and we will ensure the votes of our million supporters count positively in forthcoming elections."

Commenting on England and Wales' abortion rate, Dan Boucher, director of parliamentary affairs at CARE, said: "England and Wales already have very high abortion rates when compared with the rest of Europe.

"Rather than moving in the right direction our abortion rates are actually getting worse.

"There is a clear need for the introduction of tighter regulation in tandem with non- legislative preventative strategies.'

Nola Leach, head of public affairs, continued: "These figures are not just a tragedy because they represent the loss of 198,500 lives - over 196,000 of which would have been born able bodied - but also because they relate to growing problems for the women themselves many of whom suffer from post abortion trauma and have to seek counselling.

"These issues must be addressed."