PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press release – Calls for end to at-home abortion scheme after jury told 26-week abortion provided by MSI
25 April 2025 – Right To Life UK is calling for an immediate end to the ‘pills by post’ at-home abortion scheme, after a jury was told that one of the UK’s largest abortion providers, MSI Reproductive Choices (previously Marie Stopes) supplied pills through this scheme, which the jury heard were used to end the life of an unborn baby through an abortion at 26 weeks gestation.
Right To Life UK is also calling for a full inquiry into the abortion provider, MSI Reproductive Choices, whom the prosecution told the court had provided the abortion pills that were used for the abortion at 26 weeks gestation through the at-home abortion scheme.
MSI Reproductive Choices runs an at-home abortion scheme under which it sends out abortion pills without an in-person consultation with a medical professional.
Before the introduction of the at-home abortion scheme, women were required to have an in-person consultation with a medical professional and take mifepristone, the first abortion pill used for a medical abortion, under medical supervision in the clinic.
The case outlined to the jury could not have happened had the gestation of the baby been accurately identified by ultrasound or a physical examination during an in-person appointment. If an in-person appointment takes place, the gestation of the baby can be accurately identified, and abortion pills cannot be sent out if the baby is beyond the 9 weeks and 6 days limit for at-home abortions.
This follows the recent case where Stuart Worby was sentenced to 12 years in prison after using pills sent out using the ‘pills by post’ at-home abortion scheme to induce an abortion against her will and without her knowledge. Before at-home abortion schemes were made permanent, MPs warned that the scheme would likely be used to obtain pills that would be used by third parties to perform an abortion on a woman without her knowledge. In-person appointments allow signs of coercion or abuse to be more easily assessed.
52 MPs backed law change to end ‘pills by post’ at-home abortion scheme
Last year, 52 MPs tabled an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill that would have seen an end to the at-home abortion scheme.
The amendment (NC115) was signed by a cross-party group of 52 MPs including former Deputy PMs Thérèse Coffey and Damian Green, former leader of the Conservative Party and cabinet minister Sir Iain Duncan Smith, former Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron, former Cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, Labour MP Rachael Maskell and Maggie Throup, who was the health minister responsible for abortion services when at-home abortion schemes were made permanent in March 2022.
Widespread support for law change
Polling published in the Daily Telegraph shows that 71% of women supported the proposed law change and only 9% are in favour of the status quo. In contrast, only 16% of the public support current proposals to decriminalise abortion.
Over 800 medical professionals signed a letter to all 650 MPs outlining the risks of late-term at-home abortion and calling on MPs to make a law change to end the at-home abortion scheme.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said:
“We are calling for the Government to immediately end the ‘pills by post’ at-home abortion scheme, under which a jury was told MSI Reproductive Choices provided these abortion pills, which were used for an abortion at 26 weeks”.
“We are also calling for a full inquiry into the abortion provider, MSI Reproductive Choices, which the jury was told provided the abortion pills”.
“At around 26 weeks gestation, this baby was a fully-formed human child”.
“If her mother had been given an in-person appointment by MSI Reproductive Choices, where the gestation of the baby would have been accurately identified by ultrasound or a physical examination, this tragic case would not have happened. This baby would still be alive”.
ENDS
- For additional quotes and media interviews contact 07774 483 658 or email press@righttolife.org.uk
- For further information on Right To Life UK visit www.righttolife.org.uk
Background
The vital importance of ending the at-home abortion scheme has become clear
- In June 2023, Carla Foster was found guilty of taking abortion pills prescribed by BPAS, Britain’s largest abortion provider, at 32-34 weeks gestation after admitting to lying about her gestational age and claiming to be 7 weeks pregnant. She described being traumatised by the face of her dead baby, whom she named Lily.
- If Carla Foster had been given an in-person appointment at BPAS where her gestation could have been accurately determined, she would not have been able to obtain abortion pills and this tragic case would have been prevented.
- The small recent increase in such prosecutions for illegal late-term abortions, ending the lives of viable babies, is a direct result of the ‘pills-by-post’ scheme that means women are able to obtain abortion pills without an in-person consultation to accurately assess their gestational age or possible health risks such as an ectopic pregnancy.
- This has been acknowledged by pro-choice MPs and campaigners including Stella Creasy MP, abortion rights expert Dr Claire Pierson and major pro-choice leaning newspaper The Observer.
History of at-home abortion scheme
- Telemedicine home abortions were originally introduced in March 2020 as a temporary measure during the pandemic.
- In Feb 2022, the Government announced the scheme would end after running a consultation in which 70% of respondents called for an immediate end to at-home abortion schemes.
- However, at-home abortions were made permanently available via a backbench amendment moved in the House of Lords to the Health and Care Act in March 2022 that narrowly passed by just 27 votes in the Commons.
Government review finds increase in complication rates at later gestation
- A Government review published in November 2023 found the complication rate for medical abortions at 20 weeks and over is 160.33 times higher when compared to medical abortions that occurred at 2 to 9 weeks.
- The complication rate for women who perform their own medical abortions outside of a clinical setting at 10 weeks or beyond in a home abortion is likely to be even higher than the rates when an abortion is happening in a clinical setting.
- Such complications are far more likely without an in-person appointment where there is an opportunity to accurately assess gestation age, and would be even more likely if the current legal deterrent against late-term abortions was removed.