Thank you for your email about the changes to Abortion during the coronavirus pandemic.
This is an incredibly emotive issue and I fully understand the strength of feelings on this issue
I do believe that it is a woman’s right to control her own body and abortion care is an essential part of healthcare for women. It is time-sensitive, and services should be organised to provide care as early as possible. Safeguarding measures are still in place.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has offered guidance on this issue which can be found here:
Guidelines have been issued which enable women to take both Mifepristone and Misoprostol at home for the duration of the outbreak, so that they do not have to visit a medical practice and risk exposure to the virus, and to enable doctors to prescribe medicines from home without consulting a second practitioner, so that abortion care can be provided even in the case of staff shortages.
I have been assured this alteration will last only as long as the temporary provisions enacted by the Coronavirus Act 2020 to protect women seeking care. The medicines must still be instigated prior to nine weeks and six days into the pregnancy.