John Parsons, consultant gynaecologist in the teenage pregnancy hotspot of Lambeth, southeast London, has lost track of the number of terminations he has carried out among girls, some as young as 12.

One girl of that age came to him recently seeking an abortion in the 20th week of her pregnancy. “I was gobsmacked,” said Dr Parsons, lead clinician for the termination of pregnancy service at King’s College Hospital. “She said she hadn’t realised she was pregnant until shortly before coming to me, but I imagine she had gone into a degree of denial. Which 12-year-old wouldn’t?”

There are widespread variations in the rate of abortions provided to young girls across England and Wales, the latest figures show.

While the average rate is 19.8 per 1,000 girls in the under 16 age group, parts of South London reach more than double that, with Southwark reporting 47 abortions per 1,000, Lambeth 44 and Lewisham 40.

Last week Dr Parsons dealt with appointments at the new Camberwell Sexual Health Centre, one of three clinics that provide advice on terminations, family planning and sexually transmitted infections.

In the space of one day he carried out terminations for nine women. “That is about normal for a single day,” he said.

“The girls I worry about are the ones who don’t come to us, and go on to have the baby. It is not in the interests of any child to have a 16-year-old mother. Being born unwanted to a teenage mother is no way to start life.

“These women are being motivated not to mess up their lives. There is a lot of satisfaction in that.”

Explore Health News

• Swine flu

Times Recommends

• Alex Rider exclusive: Incident in Nice
• Green & confused: do energy-saving bulbs work?
• Let’s skip lunch, say the hungry generation