22 January 2024
Following the release of Guidance from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists for healthcare professionals on involving the police following abortion and pregnancy loss, a BPAS spokesperson said:
“Women who come to healthcare providers for an abortion need to have trust that their privacy and confidentiality will be respected. As an abortion care provider, BPAS always ensures we have the explicit consent of a woman, or a clear legal requirement, before we share information with any other professionals.
“But these women also need to have trust in medical professionals outside their abortion providers – in ambulance staff, nurses, midwives, and doctors who may care for them if they experience complications or attend a hospital for further care. And we know that unfortunately for women who are suspected of committing abortion-related crimes, this is not the case. It is too often the case that women who are ending up before the courts are ones who have had the police called on them by medical professionals they trusted.
“There are devastating consequences that come from a culture of increased reporting, police investigations and prosecutions that simply would not happen with any other medical procedure. The question must be asked - who benefits from subjecting women to lengthy and traumatic police investigations and threat of prosecution and prison time? Not police, not taxpayers, not politicians, and certainly not our women.”
ENDS
For further information, please contact Georgina O’Reilly, BPAS Associate Director of Campaigns and Communications (maternity cover), on georgina.oreilly@bpas.org or 07384 891886.
About BPAS
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service, BPAS, is a charity that sees over 100,000 women a year for reproductive healthcare services including pregnancy counselling, abortion care, miscarriage management and contraception at clinics across Great Britain.
BPAS exists to further women’s reproductive choices. We believe all women should have the right to make their own decisions in and around pregnancy, from the contraception they use to avoid pregnancy right the way through to how they decide to feed their newborn baby, with access to evidence-based information to underpin their choices and high-quality services and support to exercise them.
BPAS also runs the Centre for Reproductive Research and Communication, CRRC. Through rigorous multidisciplinary research and impactful communication, the CRRC aims to inform policy, practice, and public discourse. You can find out more here.