It's not really a legal issue primarily. You could ban every abortion under every circumstance but women will still 'take a tumble' or take other measures to self-treminate. And you can hound them, and charge them and lock them up or hang them. Women will still do it.
It's commonly claimed (I'm not entirely sure how true the claim is though) that the number of abortions in the U.K remained pretty stable after legalisation in the '60's.
From what I know you're pretty much correct there. The types of women who had abortions shifted however; more mothers with children underwent terminations IIRC in the immediate aftermath of the law reform (it was easier for them to justify doing so to their GP's)
Of course, and this is for our American friends, the UK does not have a lax abortion law. It is primarily unchanged from David Steels original legislation 40 years ago and requires the consent of 2 doctors; the burden of 'proof of necessity' is on the woman. And if you can acquire that it is increasingly difficult to find doctors who will carry out the procedure. As a result we have a 'pro-choice' lobby who are fairly happy with and protective of current legislation (though concerned about the lack of avaliable, willing doctors) and a 'pro-life' lobby who are also fairly happy with the current legislation though wish to see a reduction in the 24 week limit due to advances in survival rates of premature babies of that age (a reasonable demand). We have some die-hards of course trying to stir up trouble and make an issue for personal and political gain, but with over 80% of those polled IIRC supporting the existing law (which shows how relatively comfortable both 'sides' are with it) it's unlikely to become a major political issue.
In response to the original poster, I don't believe there is any ill-will in wishing for abortion to be 'safe, legal and rare' knowing what the alternative is. Women have carried out self induced terminations throughout recorded history; Ancient Egyptian woman bathed in very hot salt water baths for example and Ancient Rome has given us surviving texts of recomended methods for termination and contraception. You can't stop women doing it, but you can stop them doing so at due risk to their own health.
