A group of cross-party MPs, including Reform's Richard Tice and Caroline Johnson of the Conservative Party, backed by ardent anti-choice groups with religious affiliations, are hoping to push forward an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill next week which would see the end of telemedicine (pills-by-post) abortions.
This method of ending a pregnancy is a preferred choice for thousands of women every year, particularly those who live in remote areas and who cannot easily access a clinic in person, and those in vulnerable situations, such as an abusive relationship.
Data shows that since telemedicine abortions were introduced during the pandemic (and voted in permanently in August 2022) that more than 150,000 women have opted for this method of ending a pregnancy. It is the preferred option for more than half of women, according to MSI Reproductive Choices, a leading abortion provider.
A study by the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology also described the pills-by-post method as 'effective, safe, acceptable, and improves access to care'.
The push to ban this form of healthcare comes as Parliament are also gearing up to vote on another amendment (NC1) to the Crime and Policing Bill which would see the biggest overhaul to abortion-related laws in more than 50 years and which would decriminalise the procedure (abortion is still technically a criminal offence in England and Wales under a law dating back to 1861, before women had the right to vote, however it is legal if strict criteria is met as set out in the Abortion Act 1967).
More than 30+ medical bodies, women's rights groups and abortion providers are in support of NC1, saying it is important to remove women and abortion from the law as police investigations into women suspected of illegal terminations have ramped up in recent years.
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Police have now been formally issued guidance on how to search a woman's phone for evidence of an illegal abortion following a miscarriage, if she is reported as suspicious by medical staff after seeking help.
Anti-choice campaigners are hearing this discourse, repackaging the call to decriminalise abortion and are instead trying to frame it as pro-choice groups calling for 'abortion rights up until birth'. This is false: no groups are calling to amend the time limit around abortion cut off points.
However, groups are calling for women to no longer be prosecuted for ending a pregnancy outside of the legal time limit – something that happens incredibly rarely, and when it does is, according to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists "generally involves extremely vulnerable women, including victims of domestic abuse, women with a history of mental health problems, women not registered with a GP, and women who are socioeconomically disadvantaged or have difficulties accessing the health system".
The College argues that these women deserve compassion over prosecution.
Abortions are not permitted in England and Wales after 24 weeks unless the woman's life is at risk or if there is a severe fetal abnormality. Less than 0.1% of abortions take place beyond 24 weeks.
Speaking about the rally cry to end at-home abortions, Louise McCudden, UK head of external affairs at MSI Reproductive Choices, told Cosmopolitan UK, "At-home abortion care is safe, effective, and preferred by a majority of women. Banning women from choosing at-home abortion care would be an authoritarian restriction on a common, safe healthcare procedure, with no clinical or ethical basis whatsoever."
She added that, "Everyone who needs or chooses abortion should be offered the right type of care for their needs. For some, that will be taking pills at home as part of our supported care package, for others that will be taking pills in a clinic, and for others, that will mean having a surgical abortion.
"These decisions should be between women and their doctors, not ill-informed politicians. Despite the handful of MPs backing this bizarre proposal, we hope that most MPs would instead listen to doctors, midwives, and women themselves about the vital importance of offering at-home abortion care."
Professor Ranee Thakar, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, echoed McCudden's sentiments, saying, "Restricting telemedicine would significantly reduce women's and girls' access to an essential form of healthcare in England and Wales.
"There is a wealth of evidence to show that telemedicine for early medical abortion is safe, has enabled women to access treatment sooner, and that the service is preferred by women."
Professor Thakar highlighted that it is abortion providers that have extensive expertise and experience in the management of abortion care, of safeguarding and of the needs of patients – and that they strongly oppose any amendment to the law that would reduce access to pills-by-post terminations. "Removing access to telemedicine will only increase barriers."
Last month, a woman named Nicola Packer was found not guilty of carrying out an illegal abortion after experiencing a traumatic stillbirth after taking abortion pills in November 2020. Packer told the court she was not aware of how far into the pregnancy she was when she opted for a telemedicine abortion.
She delivered a stillbirth estimated to be about 26 weeks' gestation and after seeking medical attention, was reported to the police.
Packer described the criminal investigation against her as 'horrific' and says what happened in her case was a "tragic accident" that deserved support rather than criminal proceedings.
"There are other ways that it could have been handled after I'd been in hospital," Packer said when speaking to the Guardian, and recalling how intimate images of her body were shown in court as part of evidence. "I could have been sent home to recuperate. There was no legal need for me to be taken straight to a police station [in the back of a police van].
"I had to sit basically on a plank of wood, with no seatbelts on it, driving around London like that."
Due to the criminal investigation that ensued, Packer claims to have not been given anti-clotting medication in good time as she was deemed "not a priority".
Another amendment relating to abortion law reform (NC20) is also being put forward in Parliament next week, but it is not supported by any of the UK's abortion providers. BPAS (British Pregnancy Advisory Service) said during a BBC Radio 4 interview that it does not feel NC20 is the right approach when it comes to overhauling abortion law which is "incredibly complex [and] governs 250,000 women’s healthcare every single year".
A BPAS spokesperson, Rachael Clarke, Head of Advocacy, added, "Because of that, it is essential that any huge change to abortion law is properly considered. That means involvement with providers, medical bodies, regulators – and proper debate time in parliament [which NC20, in the charity's opinion, would not have]."
Cosmopolitan UK has partnered with leading abortion provider BPAS to campaign to ‘End 1861’ and call for urgent law reform that would decriminalise abortion in England and Wales. It hopes to see the rare cases, like Packer’s, to be treated with compassion rather than prosecution.
You can find out more information about the campaign here.
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
