Responses Invited to Health Department Consultations on 'Home Use of Both Pills for Early Medical Abortion – Temporary Regulations During Coronavirus Pandemic'

10 December 2020

Responses are invited to the three consultations that are currently ongoing by respective Health Departments in England, Wales and Scotland about the temporary regulations. The views of providers and residents are especially valuable to these consultations. The relevant links are:

Scotland (consultation deadline: 5 January 2021)  https://www.gov.scot/publications/consultation-future-arrangements-early-medical-abortion-home/pages/2/

Wales (consultation deadline: 23 February 2021)  https://gov.wales/termination-pregnancy-arrangements-wales

England (consultation deadline: 26 February 2021)  https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/home-use-of-both-pills-for-early-medical-abortion/home-use-of-both-pills-for-early-medical-abortion-up-to-10-weeks-gestation

For all three consultations, content is sought under the following headings:

  • Safety
  • Accessibility, convenience and waiting times
  • Acceptability
  • Privacy and confidentiality
  • Effects of providers/services
  • Risks
  • Effect on other NHS services
  • Information on risks given to women
  • Safeguarding
  • Equality considerations
  • Making the temporary measures permanent.

Personal submissions can be made directly to one or more of these consultations. Additionally, contributions are invited to collective submissions from providers in Scotland or Wales; the addresses for these are:

Scotland          Prof Sharon Cameron            sharon.cameron@ed.ac.uk

Wales              Dr Caroline Scherf                caroline.scherf@wales.nhs.uk

Alternatively, contributions can be submitted to BSACP (at least 2 weeks ahead of the consultation deadlines given above) for inclusion in the Society’s collated submissions to each of the three consultations:

BSACP            Prof Sam Rowlands                srowlands@bournemouth.ac.uk

This is an important time as there is so much evidence coming out now about the benefits of remote early medical abortion (EMA) and a unique opportunity to influence the regulations in these three jurisdictions. BSACP is of the opinion that there cannot be too many submissions. Even a brief supportive submission will be worthwhile.

Sam Rowlands (BSACP Secretary)