Court battle over changes to abortion law begins
Today marks the beginning of a High Court battle which could lead to a controversial change in abortion laws.
As it stands, women who are in their fist nine weeks of pregnancy and choose to undergo an early medical abortion must take two sets of tablets between 24 and 48 hours apart under the supervision of a doctor or nurse at a hospital or clinic.
However, Britain’s largest abortion provider is proposing changes which would scrap these rules and would allow women to take the second pill in her own home, rather than returning to a hospital or GP.
Though this is actually common practice already in many other countries such as the U.S, Canada, France and Denmark, experts over here are concerned that self administering the tablets could lead to complications.
An estimated 1.5 per cent of patients who take the tablets are likely to be admitted to hospital with complications, and women have also been found to be twice as likely to need hospital treatment after this type of abortion compared to the surgical procedure.
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) believe that changes in the law would mean the process would be made ‘easier’ if women were able to take the second tablet home thus eliminating the anxiety of returning to the hospital.
The Department of Health is contesting the changes and believes the system in place should remain the same.
A spokesman for Life, the anti-abortion charity, agreed: ‘The psychological and physical health of women will be compromised should this High Court challenge succeed.’
If you are suffering from the aftermath of having a abortion, or if you are considering your options and would like someone to talk to then please visit the homepage of this site where you can use the search tool to locate a professional counsellor in your local area.
Alternatively, for more information about abortion or miscarriage then please visit our fact-sheet here.