Call to make dangerous 'pills by post' abortion scheme permanent

Doctors are calling for controversial abortion rules ushered in during the pandemic to be made permanent in England, despite serious concerns about the safety of women.

This week, representatives of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare urged UK Ministers to allow women to continue accessing abortion pills at home.

Since March 2020, women have been able to access medical abortion after a telemedicine consultation with a doctor, receiving pills through the post.

Before the pandemic, women were required to attend a clinic and speak to a medical professional before taking the first dose of drugs under supervision.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care told The Independent: “We will announce our decision on the future of these provisions as soon as possible.”

Safety fears

An investigation last year found that more than 10,000 women who took abortion pills at home under the new rules required hospital treatment to deal with side effects.

The study also exposed serious flaws in how complications are reported and how allowing women to take both pills at home increases safety risks.

In June last year, CARE urged the Scottish Government to scrap a similar abortion pill scheme after a public consultation found 74 per cent of respondents think the scheme has a negative impact on safety.

A spokesperson for CARE commented:

“Under the new framework, there is the heightened danger of women being forced into having an abortion by a coercive partner. It is hard to establish meaningful and informed consent for medical abortion to take place, given the lack of in-person consultation. There is also the very obvious risk of dangerous medical complications occurring outside a medical setting.

“To prevent these harmful outcomes, we should insist upon the highest possible standards of safety. The safeguards that existed for access before the pandemic were there for a reason. The new framework is simply incompatible with the level of care that should be expected under normal circumstances."