Clare Murphy, Director of External Affairs, said:

“We are delighted that both abortion pills have been now been approved for use at home by women. This will reduce the time women need to spend needlessly in clinics, as many will shortly be able to collect their medication following a teleconsultation, and we also hope very soon to offer all eligible women a service where the pills are delivered straight to them.  This is a safe and effective practice which will mean women get the care they need in the most straightforward way.  However there is still more that can be done to guarantee women’s access in the current pandemic. We are calling on the Government to reduce the number of signatories needed for a lawful abortion and enable nurses and midwives to provide authorisation. The requirement that 2 doctors certify every abortion serves no clinical purpose, is an international aberration, and can cause significant and harmful delay. The UK’s abortion service relies on a very small number of doctors committed to women’s healthcare and if they fall ill the system risks falling rapidly into crisis, and women’s health with it. Without this change, women may be compelled to continue pregnancies they do not want in the struggle to find signatories – or resort to illegal measures outside the health service to end an unwanted pregnancy.  We welcome today’s announcement but urge the Government to take this final step to ensure women can continue to access the care they need during this crisis.”

ENDS

For more information, please call 07788 725 185 or email press@bpas.org

About bpas

bpas is a charity which sees almost 100,000 women a year for reproductive healthcare services including pregnancy counselling, abortion care, miscarriage management and contraception, at clinics across the UK. It supports and advocates for reproductive choice. BPAS also runs the Centre for Reproductive Research and Communication, which seeks to develop and deliver a research agenda that furthers women’s access to evidence-based reproductive healthcare, driven by an understanding of women’s perspectives and needs. You can find out more here: https://www.bpas.org/get-involved/centre-for-reproductive-research-communication/