Most abortions take place at home after pandemic reforms

MORE than half of abortions in England and Wales now take place at home, according to official data.

Data from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities reveal 52 per cent of all abortions in 2021 involved women taking mifepristone and misoprostol pills in their homes.

It follows the introduction of temporary measures in March 2020, at the start of the Covid pandemic, which allowed the use of both pills for early medical abortion at home, without the need to first attend a hospital or clinic.

These arrangements were made permanent in March 2022 and have become the most popular option.

The new data for England and Wales shows that medical abortions – in which women take pills as opposed to having surgery – accounted for 87 per cent of all abortions in 2021, an increase of two percentage points from 2020 (85 per cent).