A petition launched by the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) is calling upon the Health Secretary to tackle coercive abortion.

The petition calls coerced abortions "an often unrecognised form of domestic abuse". 

The pro-life group highlights the case of a 16-year-old victim named only as Hayley who was pressured into an abortion by her boyfriend and family.

The petition asks the Health Secretary to urgently commission research into the area of abortion coercion, and "in so doing recognise coerced abortion as a priority for health and social policy moving forward".

It has been launched after a recent BBC poll found that 15 per cent of British women had experienced pressure or coercion to have an abortion that they did not want.

SPUC said the data was "shocking" and demonstrated that "coercion in abortion decisions is an urgent and immediate threat to women's health and wellbeing".

Alithea Williams, Public Policy Manager, said, "Ever since the Roe v Wade verdict was handed down, a woman's right to choose has been a hot topic of conversation.

"However, something that many pro-abortion advocates aren't willing to talk about is that for many women, abortion isn't a choice at all."