Telemedical Abortion Care: Safeguarding Young People
3 July 2021
A joint statement from the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (RCOG), the Faculty of Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH) and the British Society of Abortion Care Providers (BSACP) regarding the advent of telemedical abortion care and the safeguarding of young people has just been published.
Telemedical Abortion Care and the Safeguarding of Young People (April 2021)
Launch of a New Charity Aimed at Tackling Abortion Stigma
28 June 2021
Today sees the virtual launch of a new charity, ‘Abortion Talk’, which aims to “destigmatise abortion, one conversation at a time” by providing safe spaces to talk for people affected by abortion and healthcare professionals who provide abortion care.
‘Abortion Talk’ is breaking the silence around abortion by creating spaces for anyone affected by their experience to talk and be heard.
Abortion is one of the most common procedures in the UK and a normal and routine part of healthcare, yet it is often not spoken about and surrounded by silence. This can lead to stigma and feelings of shame – both for people who have abortions and those who provide abortion care.
‘Abortion Talk’ aims to tackle these issues by creating a safe, non-judgmental space for anyone to talk about abortion and to have the conversations that matter to them.
Read more about this new initiative in the blog article written by Kellie O’Dowd, Programme Manager with ‘Abortion Talk’, or visit the charity’s website at: https://www.abortiontalk.com
https://bsacp.org.uk/launch-of-a-new-charity-aimed-at-tackling-abortion-stigma-abortion-talk/
Launch of a New Charity Aimed at Tackling Abortion Stigma: ‘Abortion Talk’
28 June 2021
Today sees the virtual launch of a new charity, Abortion Talk, which aims to “destigmatise abortion, one conversation at a time” by providing safe spaces to talk for people affected by abortion and healthcare professionals who provide abortion care.
Background
‘Abortion Talk’ co-founder, Jayne Kavanagh, first started to think about the need for safe spaces for abortion providers to talk about the more challenging and emotional aspects of their work in 2012, when a friend and colleague was reported to the General Medical Council (GMC) following the Care Quality Commission ‘raid’ on abortion clinics. Her subsequent experiences facilitating workshops with abortion providers, community sexual and reproductive healthcare (CSRH) and obstetrics and gynaecology (O&G) trainees reinforced her belief that providers would benefit from a supportive space to talk about their work outside the clinical setting.
For ‘Abortion Talk’ co-founder, Lesley Hoggart, things began back in 2014 when she was interviewing women who’d had an abortion for a research project. At the end of the very first interview, she asked, “Why did you agree to do this interview?”. The participant told her that there was no one else to talk to about her experiences – a response that was repeated several times during the study.
Between 2016 and 2019, Jayne worked with Lesley on the multimedia travelling exhibition My Body My Life, a community engagement project based on abortion research. The exhibition highlighted the persistence of internalised abortion stigma in people who attended and reinforced the concern that although abortion is safe, accessible and legal in the UK, it can be an isolating and stigmatising experience for some. Though many people would feel nothing but relief about their abortion, Lesley and Jayne and many others who are now Abortion Talk Trustees and Advisers felt they could do more for those who didn’t feel this way.
Jayne and Lesley were also profoundly influenced by INROADS (International Network for the Reduction of Abortion Discrimination and Stigma). At an INROADS global gathering in 2020, they learned about how in some countries where abortion is illegal, women and pregnant people are emotionally supported through and beyond abortion by feminist campaigning groups. This inspired them to try and provide similar supportive space in the UK.
Following conversations and work with other pro-choice advocates, Jayne and Lesley founded ‘Abortion Talk’ in early 2021.
Research
The work of the charity is very much informed by research conducted by the Sexuality and Abortion Stigma Study (SASS). The study found that a common experience described by health professionals working in abortion care was encountering resistance or hostility from sexual and reproductive health (SRH) or gynaecology colleagues. This included lack of support for abortion services, which also served to frame abortion care as more stigmatised than other areas of SRH. Health professionals were aware of broader negative sociocultural narratives, which they had to resist or reject when interacting with others outside the healthcare system. Ways in which they did this ranged from not disclosing their job (for instance to their faith group) to navigating negativity about their work. The research also found that some women may feel that they can only talk about abortion in ways that are currently the norm (i.e. that it is difficult and negative), and that talking about it in other, more positive, ways may not always be seen as an option, even if this more accurately reflects their experience.
Abortion Talk Services
Created with the needs of those who seek abortion, those who support women and pregnant people, and those who provide abortion care, ‘Abortion Talk’ is committed to ensuring people feel heard and valued and receive the support they want/need.
The Talkline provides a confidential space for people to talk about abortion.
Open every Wednesday and Thursday, 6.00pm–10.00pm (UK time)
For everyone: +44 (0) 3330909266
For providers: +44 (0) 3330909277
The Provider Support Workshops are safe spaces for abortion providers to explore the rewards and challenges of their work, including the emotional aspects of their work and the possible impact of abortion-related stigma on their wellbeing. The workshops aim to affirm the value of abortion providers, reinforce their commitment to abortion care, support connections with colleagues, troubleshoot areas of difficulty at work, as well as improve the general wellbeing of participants.
Workshops are tailored, as required, from one stand-alone 3-hour session to a series of four weekly/monthly workshops. ‘Abortion Talk’ also offers 1-day sessions and residential programmes (COVID permitting).
For further information visit www.abortiontalk.com or e-mail info@abortiontalk.com
Note on the Author
Kellie O’Dowd is Programme Manager with ‘Abortion Talk’. She co-chaired the Northern Irish abortion activist group, Alliance for Choice (2010–2019). She has written academically on the issue of abortion and best practice strategies when working in morally conservative settings.
Joint BSACP/RSM Conference on ‘Excellence in Abortion Care – Meeting the Challenges for Health Professionals and Educators’ on Thursday 7 October 2021 – SAVE THE DATE!
23 June 2021
The programme for this year’s annual conference jointly organised by the British Society of Abortion Care Providers (BSACP) and the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) Sexuality & Sexual Health Section (which once again is a remote/online event) is scheduled for release in early July, when online registration will also open.
This year’s conference focuses on the themes of “Training” and “Caring”, and its aims are (1) to provide information about undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and available training and (2) to update abortion care providers on approaches to care for clinicians as well as service users.
BSACP members qualify for discounted registration rates, so watch this space for further announcements!
Applications Sought for BSACP's Education & Training Committee
22 June 2021
Exciting opportunity to join BSACP’s new Education and Training Committee!
The British Society of Abortion Care Providers (BSACP) has had education and training as a core activity since the Society was founded 6 years ago, and since then has delivered a range of educational initiatives for members and others including webinars, conferences and practical workshops.
This new Committee will design and oversee delivery of an education and training strategy for BSACP so that the Society can build on what it has achieved to date. We are looking to recruit enthusiastic members from all disciplines to join this Committee including nurses, midwives, doctors, counsellors, researchers, educators, students and trainees. Commitment will include attending at least four meetings annually, which are likely to be remote, and carrying forward tasks between meetings.
Committee positions (as is the case for all positions on BSACP Council) are voluntary in nature and do not attract any remuneration. Reasonable travelling expenses will, however, be reimbursed for attendance at any in-person Committee meetings.
Interested individuals will need to complete an application form. Applications will be reviewed by BSACP’s Education Advisor, two other members of BSACP Council, and one other BSACP member or external person. We are seeking to appoint between five and seven members to form this new Committee.
If you have any questions about the Committee and/or the application process please contact BSACP’s Education Advisor, Patricia Lohr. M: 07867 527784. E: patricia.lohr@bpas.org
The deadline for submission of completed application forms to Janie Foote (BSACP Administrator) at admin@bsacp.org.uk is: Friday 30 July 2021
Download Application Form here: BSACP Education & Training Committee Application Form 22062021
Application Process
- Applicants must be fully paid up members of BSACP.
- All members standing for election must complete a standard application form.
- Applicants must be able to commit the time and resources requested of them as a member of the BSACP Education and Training Committee.
Who Can Apply?
- Any paid-up member of BSACP may apply, regardless of professional group or level of training.
Criteria
Essential:
- Previous or current work/education/training in abortion care/sexual and reproductive healthcare (SRH)
- Leadership skills
- ‘’Team player’’
- Experience of:
- Teaching/education of a variety of healthcare professionals (HCPs) and other groups in different settings and/or
- Management experience and/or
- Writing protocols or implementation of policies
Desirable:
- Experience of involvement within BSACP
- Prior experience designing and delivering training
- Academic experience
- Teaching qualification
Application Deadline
The closing date for applications is Friday 30 July 2021. [NB. BSACP reserves the right to close the application process before this date depending on the volume of applications.]
Selection Process
- Committee vacancies will be advertised on the BSACP website and the application form made generally available to members.
- Completed application forms will be reviewed by a Selection Committee comprising the BSACP Education Advisor, two other members of BSACP Council, and one other BSACP member or external person.
- The Selection Committee will compile a shortlist and selected applicants will be invited to make a presentation via an online interview.
- The Selection Committee will review all the presentations and, if possible, make a unanimous decision. If this is not the case, then the Committee will vote by secret ballot and simple majority voting for each vacancy.
- BSACP Officers will be informed of the appointments following agreement of Selection Committee members.
Janie Foote (BSACP Administrator)
Tel: +44 (0)1243 538106 E-mail: admin@bsacp.org.uk
New Report from ICNI on ‘Beyond Decriminalisation: Pregnancy Choices and Abortion Care in Northern Ireland’ Published
22 June 2021
A new report produced by Informing Choices NI (ICNI) entitled ‘Beyond Decriminalisation: Pregnancy Choices and Abortion Care in Northern Ireland’ is published today.
The report focuses on aspects of the Central Access Point (CAP) and early medical abortion (EMA) service including their design and implementation; the provision of counselling support; the provision of the service from a healthcare professionals’ perspective; accessing the service from a woman’s perspective; the impact of protestors; the availability of contraception; the lack of a public health information campaign; and recommendations for future commissioning.
Significantly, the report states that if funding is not made available for ICNI to continue providing the Central Access Point, the service will cease from 1 October 2021. This very difficult decision was reluctantly taken by the ICNI Board of Trustees earlier this week. It is not a decision that the Board has taken lightly, but unfortunately the service is simply not sustainable in the current format, and by October ICNI will have been providing it outside of a commissioned framework for 18 months.
Ruairi Rowan, Director of Advocacy and Policy at Informing Choices NI, states that: “ICNI remain hopeful that a resolution can be found. Putting a firm date on which the service will end will hopefully focus political minds and lead to the additional support ICNI and all of the healthcare professionals in NI need and deserve”.
The British Society of Abortion Care Providers (BSACP) was invited to contribute a short summary of the Society’s views of the EMA service established in NI during the pandemic for inclusion in this report on the first year of the CAP provided by ICNI. BSACP’s comments are included in the report as a testimonial, which appears on the inside front cover (p. 2).
ICNI Beyond Decriminalisation Report FINAL 22.06.2021
About ICNI
Informing Choices NI (ICNI) is a sexual and reproductive health charity based in Belfast. The charity champions informed choices around sex, sexuality and reproductive health and emotional wellbeing through advocacy, counselling, education, information and training. ICNI’s vision is a society where individuals have the right and freedom to make informed choices about their sexual and reproductive health.
Contact: T: 028 9031 6100. W: www.informingchoicesni.org
'Three Families’: An Insight into Northern Ireland’s Restrictive Abortion Laws
15 June 2021
The backdrop – three women, three different pregnancies, all seeking an abortion in Northern Ireland. A young married woman, carrying a much wanted pregnancy which is found to be incompatible with life after birth, is told she must carry this pregnancy to term. A mother found to have helped her teenage daughter procure an abortion for a crisis pregnancy, is prosecuted under Articles 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. An older woman with significant mental health history, pregnant for the first time after years of infertility, is on the edge of a psychological breakdown on finding out her pregnancy is incompatible with life after birth, and is offered no local abortion care.
These experiences could be mistaken for occurring decades or even a century ago. Astoundingly, this is Northern Ireland in the 21st century. BBC1’s Three Families offers an insight into Northern Ireland’s restrictive abortion laws and the dire position thousands of women in Northern Ireland faced and endured when seeking access to abortion. For many women – including the 300+ who travelled to England for care during 2020 – this inequality endures today.
Gwyneth Hughes, screenwriter of Three Families, based her programme on interviews from three real-life women whose lives had been significantly affected by Northern Ireland’s restrictive abortion laws. Three Families also documents the grassroots campaign that has been ongoing for decades trying to give the women in Northern Ireland the same reproductive rights as those in mainland UK. Through the narrative of personal stories, the plight women face, the attitudes and public opinion towards abortion and the fight for liberalisation of the law are told while side-stepping away from political angles.
In the first part of the two-part dramatisation we are introduced to two of the three main characters. Hannah (Amy James-Kelly) is a young, married woman eagerly hoping to become pregnant for the first time. She and her husband appear to have been trying for a baby for several months with no initial success. They both dream of the future which includes one or more healthy, happy children.
Hannah finds out she is pregnant to the delight of herself and her husband. Excitement soon turns to grief and despair, however, as they discover that the baby Hannah is carrying has a fatal fetal abnormality. On seeking an abortion Hannah is informed by a medical professional that she cannot have one in Northern Ireland. She also receives misinformation about the gestational limit for seeking an abortion in England and is left with no choice but to endure the trauma of having to go through with labour and birth at term of her stillborn daughter.
The second character Theresa (Sinéad Keenan) is a mother of two children – a 15-year-old girl in the middle of sitting her GCSEs and a 1-year-old child. Theresa has just returned to part-time work at her friend’s hairdressing shop after her maternity leave and is managing an emotional teenager and a busy household.
Theresa’s daughter confides in her that she is pregnant with a crisis pregnancy. Her ex-partner is controlling and abusive and she wishes to sever ties with him and continue with her education. Continuing with the pregnancy would make that impossible to do. Against her religious belief and despite her overall uneasiness, Theresa orders abortifacients online and supports her daughter in taking them. This comes to the attention of the local general practitioner who by law is required to report the mother and daughter to the police. As a result, Theresa is charged under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 – a law enacted before women had the vote – for procuring an abortion.
The second part of Three Families introduces the third story which involves Rosie (Genevieve O’Reilly), a woman who again, on paper, qualifies for an abortion due to the diagnosis of Edwards’ syndrome (trisomy 18) in her pregnancy and the high risk of a catastrophic effect on her mental health if she is required to deliver a baby that will die before or shortly after birth. But Rosie too is denied an abortion by her doctor and fails to meet the extremely high bar put in place in order to procure an abortion on psychiatric grounds.
We then follow Rosie, in the later stages of her pregnancy – having been told that her baby has died in the womb – and having to wait several days before being induced. Rosie roams slowly through a shop in a trance-like state shopping for the clothes in which she will bury her child. We watch Rosie break down in heart-wrenching sobs when she admits this to the shop assistant.
Each story profiled in Three Families is as heart-breaking as it is shocking, compounded by the fact that this is happening now in the UK. The only choice offered to women who wished to end their pregnancy was to carry their pregnancy to term. We see medical professionals bound by a restrictive law that threatened them with prosecution should they help these desperate women. Those wanting or needing an abortion had to travel to England at their own expense. This is highlighted during the drama when Rosie is secretively told by a nurse “Just go to the mainland love. It’s what all the women do, what we’ve always done”.
Towards the end of Three Families, we again meet Hannah who has turned her experience into positive action by joining a pro-choice activist group in Belfast. Attending a meeting with Members of Parliament (MPs) from the Women and Equalities Select Committee in January 2019, Hannah recounts how women in Northern Ireland are only granted the right to choose what happened after their babies were born. Hannah reiterates this to the committee stating “…only then, when she was no longer in my womb. Only then was I allowed to decide”.
Three Families has shown that although abortion may be required for a crisis pregnancy, even the most wanted pregnancies do not always go to plan. Each story demonstrates the reality for countless women in Northern Ireland, and unfortunately that reality still exists today. Even with the decriminalisation of abortion in October 2019, women in Northern Ireland are still being denied their lawful right to have an abortion because the Health Minister will not commission services. With the Secretary of State Brandon Lewis now attempting to commission services via Westminster, it is hoped that finally women in all of the UK will have access to free, safe, legal and local abortion healthcare.
[Three Families (2 x 1-hour episodes) is available on BBC iPlayer until February 2022.]
Reviewed by Laura McLaughlin and Leanne Morgan, BSACP Northern Ireland Representatives
Note on the Authors
Dr Laura McLaughlin is a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist working in Belfast, where she is the Trust Service Lead for Abortion. Laura is also Co-Chair for Doctors for Choice Northern Ireland (DFCNI) and is a member of the Northern Ireland Abortion and Contraception Taskgroup (NIACT).
Dr Leanne Morgan is a Locum Consultant working within the Sexual and Reproductive Health Service in Belfast Trust. Leanne is also Co-Chair of Doctors for Choice Northern Ireland (DFCNI).
Impact of COVID-19 on Access to Abortion Care in Europe
14 June 2021
Access to abortion care is an important and politically charged topic. It is a human rights issue affecting essential aspects of women’s healthcare. As a global disruptive event, COVID-19 affected abortion access in many European countries.
Government policies on abortion are a longstanding topic of heated political debate. The COVID-19 pandemic shook health care systems to the core adding to the complexity of the issue, as the imposed national lockdowns and mobility restrictions affected millions of women’s timely access to abortion care across the globe.
In an article entitled “The impact of COVID-19 on abortion access: Insights from the European Union and the United Kingdom” published last month in the journal Health Policy, researchers from Finland and France examined how all of the European Union countries and the UK responded to the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 crisis in terms of providing access to abortion care.
Link to article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2021.05.005
Scottish Government Asked to Make Telemedical Abortion Services Permanent in Scotland
14 June 2021
Today Engender and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) have, together with 25 women’s organisations, human rights bodies, and healthcare providers, written to the Scottish Government asking them to make telemedical abortion services permanent in Scotland.
In March 2020, the Scottish Government provided temporary permission for telemedical early medical abortion care. This ensured that women and pregnant people all over Scotland could continue to access abortion care without travel to a clinic, decreasing their own and clinic staff’s risk of exposure to Covid-19. The letter asks that this change be made permanent, continuing to provide women with as much choice as possible in accessing abortion care.
The British Society of Abortion Care Providers (BSACP) is one of the signatories to the letter addressed to Maree Todd MSP, Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health, and Sport:
Further information about this initiative is available on the Engender website at:
RCOG ‘Making Abortion Safe’ Initiative
10 June 2021
In 2020, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) embarked on a 3-year programme working to increase healthcare professionals’ capacity to address the barriers to safe abortion and/or post-abortion care for women and girls globally. In 2021, they are conducting a Provider Stigma Survey in an effort to understand more about abortion-related stigma, and assist them in producing resources to improve support for abortion care providers.
https://www.rcog.org.uk/en/global-network/centre-womens-global-health/our-work/making-abortion-safe/
Read more about the programme at: https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/global-network/projects-and-partnerships/making-abortion-safe/making-abortion-safe-overview.pdf