MPs are set to vote on Tuesday on an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill, tabled by a large group of MPs from six parties, led by Dr Caroline Johnson MP, that would reinstate in-person consultations with a medical professional prior to an abortion taking place at home.
Polling published in The Telegraph today shows widespread public support for the law change, with two-thirds of women supporting the reinstatement of in-person appointments and only 4% in favour of the status quo. In contrast, only 16% of the public support current proposals that mean it would no longer be illegal for women to perform their own abortions for any reason, up to birth.
The amendment (NC106) has been signed by a cross-party group of over 30 MPs from six parties including former leader of the Conservative Party and cabinet minister Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Deputy Reform Leader Richard Tice, former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron, former health minister Neil O’Brien, Father of the House Sir Edward Leigh, chairman of the Conservative 1922 Committee Bob Blackman, former Labour Opposition Whip Mary Glindon and former Health and Social Care Select Committee member, and Labour shadow minister, Rachael Maskell.
This amendment would protect women by ensuring they have an in-person consultation with a medical professional before they can take abortion pills at home. This would enable an accurate assessment, in person, of any likely health risks for a woman taking abortion pills, her gestational age and the possibility of a coerced abortion.
Women would continue to be able to have a medical abortion at home, but with the vital safeguards that come with an in-person consultation.
Since March 2022, the vital importance of in-person consultations has become clear
In December of last year, Stuart Worby was jailed after inducing a woman to have an abortion against her will or knowledge, after spiking her drink with abortion pills obtained via a third party using the pills by post scheme. This tragic incident would not have been possible if in-person appointments had been required.
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 can 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.
Clear solution to problems is reinstatement of in-person consultations, not ‘decriminalising’ abortion
Decriminalising abortion would make matters worse by making it no longer illegal for women to perform their own abortions for any reason, including sex-selective abortions, and at any point up to and during birth, thus endangering their lives and likely leading to an increase in women using abortion pills to end their pregnancies at home after the 24-week abortion time limit, up to the point of birth.
Instead, NC106 gives Parliament an opportunity to protect women and prevent these tragic cases from happening by restoring the vital safeguard of an in-person consultation with a medical professional.
Government review shows higher complication rate
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 performed 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.
History of at-home abortion schemes
Telemedicine home abortions were originally introduced in March 2020 as a temporary measure during the pandemic.
In February 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 abortion schemes were made permanently available via a backbench amendment moved in the House of Lords to the Health and Care Act in March 2022, which narrowly passed by just 27 votes in the Commons.
Given the major issues with at-home abortion schemes and the high-profile cases of women using the scheme to abort later in pregnancy, pro-choice MPs will be facing a big battle to prevent this amendment from passing and stop their own amendments from failing, as MPs see that the solution to the major problems with these schemes is in-person appointments, not making them worse by removing key deterrents against performing an abortion at any point right through to birth.
Dr Caroline Johnson MP said “Since its introduction, the safeguarding risks caused by the ‘pills by post’ scheme have been evident, with one man able to obtain pills by a third party to induce a woman to have an abortion against her will or knowledge, and other women taking the pills later in pregnancy, in some cases because they were mistaken about their gestation, putting themselves in danger”.
“Women would continue to be able to take abortion pills at home but, in line with public support, my amendment would reinstate prior in-person consultations so medical professionals are able to accurately assess a woman’s gestational age, any health risks and the risk of coercion before abortion pills can be prescribed”.
“This would protect women and prevent further cases of coerced or dangerous abortions arising as a result of the pills by post scheme”.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said “The controversial amendment that made at-home abortions permanent passed by a razor-thin margin of just 27 votes. A large number of MPs raised serious concerns about the negative impact these schemes would have on women”.
“Since then, we have seen these concerns tragically borne out. Women such as Carla Foster have performed at-home abortions well beyond the 24-week time limit, putting their health at serious risk. Had Carla Foster been given an in-person consultation, where her gestation could have been accurately determined, she would not have been able to access abortion pills, and this tragic case would have been prevented”.
“The solution is clear. We urgently need to reinstate in-person appointments. This simple safeguard would prevent women’s lives from being put at risk from self-administered late-term abortions, a danger that would be exacerbated if abortion were ‘decriminalised’ right up to birth”.
