Opinion: 2018 is a Turning Point in Abortion Provision

23 April 2018

In a recent BMJ opinion article, Patricia Lohr (BPAS Medical Director and BSACP Treasurer) reflects on why in her opinion 2018 is likely to represent a turning point in abortion provision.

http://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2018/04/23/patricia-lohr-2018-is-a-turning-point-in-abortion-provision/

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Changes Planned in Wales to Allow Home Use of Misoprostol

18 April 2018

BASCP is delighted at the news that the Welsh Government intends following suit with Scotland to allow women to use misoprostol at home for early medical abortion.

Health Secretary Vaughan Gething made the announcement yesterday in the Senedd (National Assembly for Wales). Welsh clinicians are strongly behind the move.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-43803251

The overwhelming logical argument and evidence in favour of this move was made known to the Chief Medical Officer during the course of the Welsh Sexual Health Strategy Review in Autumn 2017. Thereafter, lead clinicians in Wales worked with BBC researcher Kate McDonald to collectively lobby the Health Secretary and Assembly Members to raise awareness of the idea. Dr Amanda Davies, Lead Clinician in Swansea, was interviewed on Wales Live last month.

Louise Massey, Consultant in Sexual & Reproductive Health, Aneurin Bevan Health Board, Gwent, Wales and BSACP’s Regional Representative for Wales

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Scottish Abortion Care Providers (SACP) Conference, Glasgow, UK, Friday 27 April 2018

The programme for this conference covers a broad range of timely topics including: Abortion Act Devolution – 2 years on; Ultra Early Medical Abortion in Scotland; Scottish Women and Women on the Web; Telemedicine for Abortion Care; and Female Genital Mutilation. 

The conference programme can be viewed here: https://bsacp.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SACP-PROGRAMME-2018.pdf

The application form can be downloaded here: https://bsacp.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Application-form-SACP-Conference-April-2018.doc

Please disregard the closing date given on the application form as there are still places available for late registrants.

Contact/queries: Karen Brown

Tel: 0141 201 4472

E-mail: karenbrown11@nhs.net

 

Doctors for Choice UK: How Clinicians Can Shape the Future of Abortion Care, Friday 27 April 2018

Friday 27 April 2018, University College London (UCL), London, UK

Doctors for Choice UK marks the 50th anniversary of the implementation of the 1967 Abortion Act and celebrates half a century of safe abortion in mainland UK by looking at past, present and future abortion care and considering the ways clinicians can influence the next 50 years of abortion provision throughout the UK.

Venue: University College London, Lecture Theatre 2, Cruciform Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT

Tickets: £22 waged and £7 students/unwaged
• Travel bursaries available for medical students from outside London
• Wine reception at 5.00pm

More information/book at: https://dfc_conference.eventbrite.co.uk

@DrsforChoice_UK

https://www.dwca.org/

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/doctors-for-choice-uk-how-clinicians-can-shape-the-future-of-abortion-care-tickets-42785862667#

 

Abortion Care for Northern Irish Citizens: What Comes Next?

13 April 2018

When the news broke on 29 June 2017 that the newly elected Conservative government would allocate funding for pregnant women and people from Northern Ireland (NI) to access abortion in mainland Britain, this was met with a very positive response from feminists and campaigners in NI. I remember this day well, as I was attending a conference at the University of Kent about doctors and abortion law in practice, and the atmosphere in the room was boosted massively after this news was delivered. This positive and exciting response was then mixed with confusion as to how this was going to be implemented practically.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (bpas) and Marie Stopes International (MSI) began to waive charges for Northern Irish residents, meaning they could access services in independent clinics free of charge. However, clarity was needed on pathways of referral; could Northern Irish women and people seeking terminations of pregnancy (TOPs) be referred from general practitioners in NI, and would they be able to access this care in National Health Service (NHS) hospitals free of charge, where necessary?

Scotland’s devolved parliament had discussed the idea of removing charges for Northern Irish residents in Scotland before, when the issue was raised by Scottish Green Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) Patrick Harvie, and on 6 November 2017 the Scottish Parliament approved this move. Currently in Scotland, access is possible through individual NHS Boards.

In March 2018, Northern Irish referrals were added to the central booking system run by BPAS. Through the central booking system, abortion seekers from NI can access TOPs through BPAS, MSI, National Unplanned Pregnancy Advisory Service (NUPAS) and other appropriate providers in England. The Welsh assembly have discussed widening access through the Welsh NHS, however nothing has been announced about delivering this so far.

All of these moves are positive developments in ensuring access to safe, free abortion care for Northern Irish residents. However, it is not a long-term solution, and this move is also leaving many behind: those with disabilities and unable to travel, those in abusive relationships, those who are homeless, and asylum seekers and refugees who may not have travel documents. Added barriers to accessing care overseas are travel and accommodation expenses, and for many it is difficult to access child care, or take time off work. In fact, research conducted by Ulster University on ‘Abortion as a Workplace Issue’, showed that 20% of survey respondents had direct experience of abortion, as a workplace issue, whether they were accessing abortion care themselves, or their partners were. Another issue is that while abortion and access to abortion care is already stigmatised, even where it is legal, needing to travel for this care, rather than accessing it locally at home, further compounds the stigma experienced by women and pregnant people in NI.

There has been a lack of response from the NI Department of Health in issuing updated guidance to healthcare staff on advice for patients. This inadequate response has left healthcare staff without the information they need and patients without support in their care.

The lack of a devolved NI Assembly is becoming another pressing issue, and one for which Westminster has been dodging responsibility. There is a very serious and urgent need for free, safe and legal abortion in NI, allowing pregnant women and people to access healthcare at home. Something which has been largely ignored by the mainstream media in mainland Britain is the ongoing criminalisation of women and activists in NI for accessing abortion pills. The silence from Westminster on this treatment of pregnant people in NI is deafening.

Recent developments such as the publication of the CEDAW (Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women) Report in February 2018, which condemned NI abortion laws for violating the human rights of women and girls, makes this lack of progress all the more shameful, and the responsibility lies at Westminster’s feet. Campaigning groups such as Alliance for Choice have been working hard to push for interventions, as Westminster is responsible for upholding the human rights of UK citizens, and this responsibility is accentuated in the absence of a devolved government at Stormont.

However, the likelihood of a Conservative government overruling devolved issues appears to be low; only recently a Ten Minute Rule Bill on marriage equality, with support from many parties, passed its first reading. However, Theresa May refuses to intervene on this matter through Parliament, in order to appease the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), whom the Conservative party rely on for votes.

Consistent pressure from lobbying and campaigning groups, and developments to ensure some access, are positive; however, a bigger question for the future of campaigning is: Will a Conservative government step in over abortion law reform, or will they acquiesce to the DUP over their staunch anti-abortion stance?

Jill McManus, Third-year Medical Student, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland; jmcmanus27@qub.ac.uk

Note on the Author

Jill McManus is president of the QUB chapter of Medical Students for Choice, and is an activist with Alliance for Choice, a pro-choice activist and advocacy group based in Northern Ireland. She also has a blog, where she writes about current events and information on abortion.

Joint ARHP/BSACP Webinar on ‘Stigma and Abortion Provision’ on Thursday 15 March 2018

The Association of Reproductive Health Professionals (ARHP) and the British Society of Abortion Care Providers (BSACP) are jointly producing a series of webinars that focus on issues facing abortion care providers in the UK and the USA.

The next webinar in the series is on ‘Stigma and Abortion Provision’ and will be given by Lisa Harris, MD, PhD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.

Dr Lisa Harris is Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Women’s Studies at University of Michigan. Her research examines issues at the intersection of clinical obstetrical and gynaecological care and law, policy, politics, ethics, history, and sociology. She conducts interdisciplinary, mixed methods research on many issues along the reproductive justice continuum, including abortion, miscarriage, contraception, in vitro fertilisation (IVF), infertility and birth, and racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in access to reproductive health resources.

The learning objectives for this webinar are to:
1 Define stigma
2 Identify sources of stigma and their impact on providers
3 Describe how stigma impacts patient safety
4 Discuss a model for managing the stigma of abortion care

Webinar release date: Thursday 15 March 2018, 1.30pm EST/6.30pm GMT

This webinar is free to attend for BSACP members.

Registration link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3270367981844374275

 

Possible Home Use of Misoprostol in Wales

8 March 2018

Clinicians in Wales effectively lobby Welsh Politicians and the BBC to raise awareness of the possibility that the law could be amended in Wales as it has in Scotland to make a woman’s home a legal place to use abortion pills. The following link from the BBC Wales website, and a TV interview on LIVE WALES with Swansea’s clinical lead for abortion services Dr Amanda Davies, expand on the issues.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-43301019#

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b09tm39l/bbc-wales-live-07032018

UK Government Response to the 2017 CEDAW Report

25 February 2018

The response of the UK Government to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) 2017 Report can be read in full (advance unedited version) here: http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CEDAW/Shared%20Documents/GBR/INT_CEDAW_ITB_GBR_8638_E.pdf