Women could face abortion at home bid

WOMEN could be pressured to have abortions at home under plans to reduce strain on the NHS.

The Scottish Government is considering a proposal to make permanent the ‘emergency’ Covid19 protocol, where pills for an early termination are taken at home.

A public consultation earlier this year concluded that most people in Scotland do not agree with it.

Yet the Government has launched a £20,000 review led by NHS Lothian before making any decision on its approach.

Before the first national lockdown in March 2020, women under 12 weeks pregnant had to attend a clinic for an assessment, where they would be given the first of two abortion pills, mifepristone. They could then be prescribed a second drug, misoprostol, to take at home.

During the coronavirus outbreak, NHS boards were told to allow women to take both pills at home after a phone or video consultation.

Almost two-thirds of the 5,500 consultation respondents wanted home abortion ended, raising concerns that the system made it more difficult to identify health issues, assess the patient’s understanding of the procedure, check the correct identity of the person, and whether or not they were being coerced.

A total of 13,815 abortions were carried out in Scotland in 2020. Of 1,855 home abortions between April and June 2020, ten were identified in which complications might have been avoided if the woman had been seen in person.

Scottish Labour health spokesman Jackie Baillie said: ‘Women’s ability to access healthcare freely and safely must be the only priority. Women should get abortions in a setting that suits them, is safe and meets their needs.’