Advertisement

What Government-Approved Home Abortions Mean For You

Photo credit: fizkes - Getty Images
Photo credit: fizkes - Getty Images

From ELLE

With the uncertainty, anxiety and health concerns that have resulted from the coronavirus pandemic, we have to actively look for some good news to keep our spirits high.

One positive move to have come out of social distancing is improved sexual autonomy for women when it comes to abortions.

Earlier this week, the government announced that women will be able to have an abortion at up to ten weeks, without leaving their house during the coronavirus outbreak.

While the change has been carried out on a temporary basis, limited to two years, the decision marks a landmark move from the government.

‘Public safety and continued access to key services is our priority during this difficult period,’ a spokesperson from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

Photo credit: PORNCHAI SODA - Getty Images
Photo credit: PORNCHAI SODA - Getty Images

Here is everything you need to know about new medical abortion legislation in the UK:

What is a medical abortion?

Women who request an early medical abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy will take two types of tablet to do so, the NHS explains.

Mifepristone is the first tablet which stops the hormone that allows the pregnancy to continue. The second is known as misoprostol which is normally taken up to 48 hours after a patient takes the first tablet, which makes the womb contract to terminate the pregnancy.

After four to six hours the lining of the womb breaks down, which results in bleeding and the loss of the pregnancy.

If a medical abortion is carried out after nine weeks, a patient may need more doses of misoprostol and might need to stay in the clinic or hospital.

In 2018, there were 200,608 abortions for women resident in England and Wales and 205,295 abortions including non-residents, according to the DHSC. The abortion rate increased from 16.7 per 1,000 women in 2017.

In November last year, a new report titled ‘Better for Women’, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) called on the DHSC to reconsider its guidelines regarding medical abortions.

Photo credit: Christopher Schoonover
Photo credit: Christopher Schoonover

Professor Lesley Regan, president of the RCOG, said that the DHSC greatly improved women’s experience of abortion care when it allowed women to take misoprostol (the second tablet) from home.

As a result of the decision, she said it has allowed women to avoid the ‘distress or embarrassment of bleeding and cramping pain’ during their journey home from the clinic.

Urging for the DHSC to allow women to consider allowing women to take mifepristone (the first tablet) at home, too, Regan said at the time: ‘This would improve the accessibility of early medical abortion care for women, particularly for those who live in rural areas or those with child caring commitments.’

In the report, a RCOG survey of more than 3,000 women found that many were struggling to access basic services around contraception, abortion care and the menopause.

What is the change in policy to home abortions?

The government will now permit patients in England to have home abortions during Covid-19, despite the decision facing numerous upheavals in recent weeks to push for the opposite.

On March 23, women and girls wanting to terminate an early pregnancy were initially told that the service would be available.

In the guidance, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said: ‘The secretary of state for health and social care has approved two temporary measures in England to limit the transmission of coronavirus (Covid-19) and ensure continued access to early medical abortion services.’

However, the decision was retracted hours later, according to what the government described as an announcement that had been ‘published in error’.

In response, numerous family planning and health organisations including the Royal Colleege of Midwives, the British Pregnancy Advisory Service and the Roycal College of Obstetricians wrote to Health Secretary Matt Hancock asking for an amendment to the law.

Photo credit: Getty Images
Photo credit: Getty Images

On Monday March 30, the DHSC took another U-turn and announced that pills to terminate a pregnancy can now be taken at home after a phone or online consultation with a doctor.

‘This measure will be on a temporary basis,’ according to a spokesperson.‘We are updating our guidance so women who need an abortion up to 10 weeks and can’t access a clinic can use abortion pills at home.

‘We will set out the next steps, including updated guidance, shortly.’

From now on, patients will now be able to take two pills at home instead of visiting a clinic twice, to avoid the risk of contracting coronavirus.

Previously in England, women were required to take the first of the two tablets at a registered clinic. And relatively recently, women had been required to take both tablets at a clinic, requiring two separate visits. However, they are now able to take both pills in the safety and privacy of their own homes

BPAS reacted to the news on Twitter, posting:

Meanwhile, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has stated that it welcomes the decision.

‘Giving women the option of taking both abortion pills at home following a video consultation is safe and effective and has rightly been judged as a vital and necessary step if we are to limit the spread of COVID-19,’ Dr Edward Morris, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said.

‘Many women will no longer be forced to make the difficult decision between leaving their home and continuing with an unwanted pregnancy.’

Dr Asha Kasliwal, President of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, added: ‘Telemedicine for abortion care assessments is already recommended in NICE guidelines. Home use of the first course of abortion pills for early medical abortion will avoid unnecessary and risky visits to healthcare facilities, ensuring women have access to safe and timely healthcare.

‘This change could not have happened soon enough.’

What about home abortions in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland?

The new legislation only applies to England right now as in Scotland and Wales, women are already able to collect both pills to take home.

In Northern Ireland, abortions were decriminalised in October last year, with new regulations taking effect on March 31.

The new legislation means that terminations can be carried out in all circumstances in the first 12 weeks of a pregnancy. Terminations will also be able to go ahead up to 24 weeks if there is a risk to the physical or mental health of the patient.

After the first trimester, abortions remain legal in limited circumstances situations such as fatal foetal abnormalities.

Photo credit: Getty Images
Photo credit: Getty Images

As a result, Grainne Teggart, Amnesty International’s Northern Ireland campaigns manager, has urged for the same guidelines in England to be applicable in Northern Ireland.

‘It’s a huge relief that the Government has finally confirmed that women and girls in England will be given the option to self-manage abortions at home, particularly during the current global health pandemic,’ she explains on the Amnesty website.

‘Travelling for this healthcare during the Covid-19 crisis is no longer a safe or viable option, meaning Northern Ireland is effectively being left without services,’ she added.

Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox.

In need of more inspiration, thoughtful journalism and at-home beauty tips? Subscribe to ELLE's print magazine now and pay just £6 for 6 issues. SUBSCRIBE HERE


You Might Also Like