This is a terrible idea. Apart from a poll on mumsnet, have you even looked at the research?
‘At-home’ abortion presents a high risk of coercion and abuse.
The ‘at-home’ abortion could be used by their abusers to disguise trafficking or abuse scandals. There is no way to verify who is consuming the medication and whether she is doing so willingly. Sex traffickers, incestuous abusers, and coercive boyfriends will all welcome more easily available medical abortion.
- Abortion providers cannot ensure that ‘at-home’ abortion pills are taken by the intended person in the intended circumstances within the intended time.
-A nationwide undercover investigation that concluded in early July 2020 found evidence of abortion providers putting women at significant risk, seemingly by not carrying out basic checks before sending abortion pills by post, showing that the scheme is open to abuse and facilitating abortions beyond the legal limit.
- In the investigation led by public health consultant Kevin Duffy, a former Global Director of Clinics Development at Marie Stopes International, all 26 requests by volunteers were successful in acquiring mifepristone and misoprostol using false names, dates of birth, and gestational dates.
- A second mystery client investigation conducted between November 2020 and January 2021 found that there had been no change in the behaviour of abortion providers despite assurances from the Care Quality Commission in November 2020.
- A leaked email from a Regional Chief Midwife at NHS England revealed that women had to attend Emergency Departments for a range of incidents including “significant pain and bleeding related to the process through to ruptured ectopics”, “major resuscitation for major haemorrhage”, and incidents involving the “delivery of infants who are up to 30 weeks gestation”.
- A recent Freedom of Information (FOI) request found that between 1 April and 30 November 2020, NHS England and Improvement had notified the Care Quality Commission of 32 “serious incidents” relating to early medical abortion, 29 of which saw the women suffer serious complications (the CQC notes that serious incidents are those requiring hospital treatment for complications ranging from “delivery of fetuses of unexpected gestation, incomplete abortion with retained products of conception, and ectopic pregnancies”). Of these 29 cases, 17 resulted from ‘at-home’ abortions.
- A recent study based on FOI requests to NHS Trusts found that more than 10,000 women who took at least one abortion pill at home provided by the NHS in 2020 needed hospital treatment for side-effects, equivalent to more than 1 in 17 women, or 20 women per day needing hospital treatment. Concerningly, the lack of a routine in-person consultation or follow-up in the case of ‘at-home’ abortion likely further adds to the significant risks that the use of medical abortion pills carry for the health and safety of women and girls across the country.
- Women face greater risk of complications from ‘at-home’ abortion than from other forms of medical and surgical abortion.
- Ultrasounds before abortion are not only used at times to determine accurate gestational dates but also for diagnosing ectopic pregnancies, which may be asymptomatic and can rupture if untreated. This is vital as mifepristone does not terminate pregnancies that are not implanted in the uterus, and undiagnosed ectopic pregnancies may rupture, resulting in serious bleeding and even death in extreme cases.
- Tragically, a 2005 study reviewing the deaths of five women after taking medical abortion pills found that four were specifically “due to endometritis and toxic shock syndrome associated with Clostridium sordellii” and one “whose death was attributed to a ruptured ectopic pregnancy”. This is especially concerning in relation to ‘at-home’ abortion, given that it is impossible to confirm ectopic pregnancies via a phone call.
- Studies also show more complications from medical than surgical abortions.
- A Finnish study of over 42,000 women receiving abortions up to 9 weeks’ gestation (63 days) found that the rate of complications was 4 times higher in medical than surgical abortions. Furthermore, the rate of haemorrhage was found to be over 7 times higher for medical than surgical abortions and the rate of surgical evacuation was over 3 times higher for medical than surgical abortions.
- A 2018 Swedish study of nearly 5,000 induced abortions over 8 years from 2008 to 2015 inclusive found that the complication rate for medical abortions before 12 weeks’ gestation (7.3%) was substantially higher than that for surgical abortions (5.2%).
It also discovered that the complication rate for medical abortions before 12 weeks’ gestation almost doubled from 4.2% in 2008 to 8.2% in 2015, concluding that the significant surge in complications, while unknown, “may be associated with a shift from hospital to home medical abortions.”
- Polling of GPs showed that 86% surveyed across the UK were concerned about women having a medical abortion past the legal limit of ten weeks’ gestation. Concern was highest among female doctors (91%).
- 86% were concerned that women were at risk of being coerced into abortion by a family member or partner.
- 82% were concerned about the possibility of abortion pills being falsely obtained for another person, and 90% agreed it is concerning that callers giving false information can easily obtain abortion drugs.
- Polling of the general population in England has found that an overwhelming majority of the general public, especially women, are concerned about the safety, quality, and legal issues arising from ‘at-home’ abortion.
Previous polling undertaken in England, Scotland, and Wales has shown that:
92% of women agreed that a woman requesting an abortion should always be seen in person by a qualified doctor.
77% of women agreed that doctors should be required by law to verify in person that a patient seeking an abortion is not under pressure from a third party.
