Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by the Secretary of State for Health that “they have no proposals to change any abortion rules as part of the COVID-19 response” on 24 March (HC Deb, col 244) and the remarks by Lord Bethell that “it is not right to rush through this type of change in a sensitive area such as abortion without adequate parliamentary scrutiny” on 25 March (HL Deb, col 1762), what (1) steps they took, and (2) consultation they undertook, before deciding to permit at-home abortion using the administration of mifepristone and misoprostol following a telephone consultation.

On 30 March, Ministerial powers under the Abortion Act 1967 were used to temporarily approve women’s homes as a class of place where both abortion pills can be taken for early medical abortion up to 10 weeks gestation following a telephone or e-consultation with a clinician. Doctors’ homes have also been approved as a place from which abortion medication can be prescribed. Following the debate on 24 March the Department was presented with strong evidence from providers that the situation in relation to abortion provision was rapidly changing, services closing and large numbers of appointments for treatment were being cancelled. It was therefore considered that the balance of risk to allow a temporary modification of the arrangements for treatment for early medical abortion had shifted and the temporary modification should be allowed. In reaching this decision account was also taken of wider advice regarding the need for some groups to isolate, that access to abortion is an urgent matter: the procedure’s risk increases at later gestations and there are legal gestational limits for accessing services. This position is being kept under review and the temporary approvals will end once the risk from the COVID-19 pandemic recedes.