GPs’ fears over ‘pills by post’ abortions
THE majority of doctors fear a new NHS service that allows home abortions after a remote consultation will lead to more vulnerable women being pressurised by abusive partners into having terminations.
Six in seven GPs are concerned that the controversial ‘pills by post’ scheme, which allows abortion pills to be sent to a home after a phone or video call with a medical professional, could create such a risk.
Before last April, when the service was introduced due to coronavirus restrictions, women had to go to a clinic for a face-to-face consultation before an early abortion, before ten weeks’ gestation.
‘Pills by post’ was intended to be t emporary, but Ministers are expected to announce whether it will become permanent later this year, after a consultation. In the new survey, 82 per cent of the 1,000 GPs polled were worried about ‘the possibility of abortion pills being falsely obtained for another person’ and 86 per cent were concerned about women using them after ten weeks, against NHS guidance.
The Care Quality Commission, which regulates health services, is aware of at least five incidents where women took home abortion pills later than ten weeks, three of them between 20 and 24 weeks.
Savanta ComRes conducted the GPs’ survey on behalf of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children ( SPUC) and Christian Concern. John Deighan, of SPUC, said: ‘ The risks of coercion are obvious as are the mental health implications for women of having to dispose of a terminated pregnancy themselves. The sad reality is that many more women will likely now be coerced into abortion from an abusive partner.’
Andrea Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern, added: ‘These figures show clearly that medical professionals are deeply concerned about pregnant women’s safety.’
But Clare Murphy, chief executive of abortion provider BPAS, said: ‘Medical opinion is strongly in favour of women’s access to early medical abortion at home.
‘It has significantly reduced the gestation date at which abortions are performed, and has been particularly important for women in coercive relationships who cannot travel to a clinic without their abusive partner finding out.’