The abortion rate has dropped for the second year running in England and Wales, statistics show. But experts said it was still too early to say whether there was a downward trend. The total number of abortions was 189,100 in 2009 – a rate of 17.5 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44,...

The number of young children injured in violent attacks has risen 8% in a year, according to a survey of accident and emergency units in England and Wales. However, the statistics – collected by researchers at Cardiff University – suggest that overall levels of serious violence...

Maternal deaths have fallen worldwide, from about half a million a year in 1980 to less than 350,000 in 2008, according to new data. Countries such as China are making significant progress but there have been surprising increases in others, including the US, say researchers. UK deaths are...