MANY readers may not be aware that, since last March, abortion clinics have been allowed to send women the pills needed for a medical abortion in the post, following a phone consultation.
For nearly a year, thousands of women have been carrying out their own abortions at home, without ever being seen by a medical professional.
I am very concerned about home abortions and opinion polling shows that I am not alone.
A poll of 1,046 adults in England during December 2020 on behalf of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children found that seven in ten adults in England (71%) are concerned about women having a medical abortion at home after a phone or video consultation with a doctor.
Even more significantly, medical professionals have the same concerns.
A new poll, also carried about by SavantaComres, shows that a majority of GPs (57%) are worried about the policy.
Digging deeper into the findings, a staggering 86% are concerned about women being coerced into abortion under the telemedicine system.
Anyone who shares these concerns should make them known to their MP. At-home abortion was introduced as a temporary measure in March 2020.
The Government is considering making this permanent. Such a significant change should not be slipped through unopposed – especially when it is opposed both by the public and by GPs.
At-home, or DIY abortion, must end immediately.
Anne Cavanagh-Adams, Wallasey
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