Make provisions for telemedicine for early abortions permanent in England

The Government should make provisions that allow women to take both pills for early medical abortion up to 9 weeks and 6 days gestation at home permanent. The Government has announced that provisions for telemedicine will end in August.

Telemedicine for abortion in England has provided those seeking a medical abortion in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy the option of accessing care without needing to leave their homes. This was made possible by emergency legislation introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. On 24 February 2022 the government decided to end this provision from August 2022, despite evidence and survey data showing that telemedicine for early medical abortion is safe, effective and preferred by women.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the Government put in place a temporary approval in England, enabling women to take both pills for early medical abortion up to 9 weeks and 6 days gestation in their own homes. A consultation must have first taken place with a clinician, but women did not need to physically attend a hospital or clinic. Prior to the pandemic, only the second pill for early medical abortion could be taken at home and women were required to attend a clinic to take the first pill.

This temporary measure was put in place at the start of a public health emergency to address a specific and acute medical need, reducing the risk of transmission of COVID-19 and ensuring continued access to abortion services. Without this measure, significant numbers of women would not have been able to access an abortion. At the time a decision was made to time limit the approval for two years, or until the pandemic was over, whichever was earliest.

From 26 November 2020 to 26 February 2021, the Government ran a public consultation seeking views on the risks and benefits of making the COVID-19 measure allowing for home use of both pills for early medical abortion permanent. The consultation closed with a total of 18,834 responses and the Government has published a full summary of consultation responses, which includes key themes and issues of concern: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/home-use-of-both-pills-for-early-medical-abortion/outcome/home-use-of-both-pills-for-early-medical-abortion-ema-up-to-10-weeks-gestation-summary-of-consultation-responses.