Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of provision of abortion pills to a woman beyond the legal limit for abortion by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
No assessment has been made of the implications for policies on the provision of abortion pills to a woman beyond the legal time limit for abortion.
The law on abortion and required standards of medical care are clear. The Department continues to work closely with NHS England, the Care Quality Commission and abortion providers to ensure that abortions in England are performed in accordance with the Abortion Act 1967.
There are no plans to review Section 3(D) of the Abortion Act 1967. Parliament decided the circumstances under which abortion can legally be undertaken. It would be for Parliament to decide whether to make any changes to the law on abortion. As with other matters of conscience, abortion is an issue on which the Government adopts a neutral stance and allows hon. Members to vote according to their moral, ethical or religious beliefs.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of any dangers for vulnerable women presented by the lack of in-person consultations before dispensing abortion pills by post, and the risk of offences under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 being committed by a third party coercing a pregnancy termination.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department recognises safeguarding as an essential aspect of abortion care. As stated in the Department’s Required Standard Operating Procedures for approved independent sector abortion providers, we expect all abortion providers to have effective arrangements in place to safeguard vulnerable women accessing home-use early medical abortion who may be experiencing coercion to end a pregnancy. Providers must ensure that all staff are trained in recognising the signs of potential abuse and coercion in adult women and know how to respond. We also require providers to have protocols for onward referral to specialist services where they have reason to suspect someone has experienced abuse.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure abortion providers are accountable for verifying that abortion pills sent by post are issued only to women within the legal time limit for such pills.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Abortion Act now requires that, in relation to early medical abortion, the doctor terminating a pregnancy must be of the opinion, formed in good faith, that the pregnancy is not beyond 10 weeks. This opinion is formed following a consultation with the woman concerned. If a woman is not sure of her gestation, or if the doctor is concerned about health issues, she will be asked to attend a clinic. This certification must be recorded on form EMA1 or a similar certificate and must be kept for three years from the date on which the medicine for the treatment of the pregnancy is prescribed.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential risks of the provision of abortion pills through the post to women who are beyond the legal limit for gestational age; and if he will commission an urgent review into the potential impact of at-home abortion provision on women’s (a) health and (b) safety.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
No assessment has been made. The Government has no current plans to commission a review into the impact of home use of pills for abortion on women’s health and safety.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on how many providers of abortion medications have been prosecuted for sending abortion pills out past the 10-week limit in each of the last five years.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Department does not hold this information. Decisions to bring a prosecution in relation to the law on abortion are for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department takes to help ensure that providers of abortion medications are held accountable for sending abortion pills to women outside the legal conditions.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
All independent sector services wishing to perform termination of pregnancy must be approved by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) before they are able to provide abortion services. The CQC inspect independent sector abortion services. If a CQC inspection identifies instances of non-compliance, then appropriate regulatory action will be taken.
The Regulations require registered medical professionals to certify in ‘good faith’ that the gestation period is below 10 weeks if the doctor terminating the pregnancy prescribes the abortion pills from their home, or if one or both pills for early medical abortion are to be taken by the pregnant woman at her home. This certification must be recorded on form EMA1 or a similar certificate and must be kept for three years from the date on which the medicine for the treatment of the pregnancy is prescribed.
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled Procedures for the approval of independent sector places for termination of pregnancy (abortion) in England, what specific implications relating to the taking of abortion medicines beyond the legal limit of 9 weeks and 6 days gestation women should be made aware of under that guidance when having an early medical abortion at home.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Women having an early medical abortion at home should be informed of the implications, health and otherwise, of taking the abortion medicine beyond the legal limit of nine weeks and six days gestation. Women would also be advised on self-management including any signs and symptoms and when to obtain healthcare support, how to dispose of or return the abortion pills if they are not used and how they can be sure that the pregnancy has ended.
The Department’s Required Standard Operating Procedures, which all independent abortion providers must comply with, set out that woman seeking an abortion should be informed about their options so that they can make an informed choice about their preferred course of action within the legal framework for abortion in England.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the safeguards used in the abortion pills by post scheme; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Following amendments to the 1967 Abortion Act that allow women in England and Wales to take early medical abortion (EMA) pills at home, the Department have taken forward work to ensure that robust safeguarding processes for home-use EMA are embedded across all services. This included publication of national safeguarding guidance for under 18 year olds accessing EMA services, and strengthening the Department’s Required Standard Operating Procedures, which all independent abortion providers must comply with, to require providers to have robust safeguarding processes in place to identify and support women and girls who need it.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish an impact assessment into the change in the law allowing women to take abortion bills at home.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Department plans to publish the Impact Assessment on the change in the law allowing home use of pills for early medical abortion in due course.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he will take to ensure that all women and young people have access to the telemedical pathway for early medical abortion.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
In March 2022, Parliament voted to amend the Abortion Act 1967 to allow women in England and Wales to take one or both pills for early medical abortion at home. The Abortion Act does not set a legal age limit for access to early medical abortion via the telemedicine pathway. The Department continues to work with NHS England, the Care Quality Commission and abortion providers to ensure that children and young people have timely access to all abortion services, including telemedicine abortion services.