'Pills by post' abortions to become permanent option in England and Wales

Women in England and Wales will have permanent access to abortions from home from next week after the method was trialled during the pandemic.

'Pills by post' abortions which can be used to terminate a babies life in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy were brought in early 2020 when regular abortion services closed.

Ministers originally wanted to axe the scheme this summer, but they were defeated by a vote by MPs in March.

The Department of Health and Social Care said doctors will be required to certify in 'good faith' that the pills are only being used to terminate early pregnancies. 

The decision follows a record number of terminations being carried out last year in England Wales.

Nearly 215,000 abortions were carried out in the two nations in 2021, according to Government data, up 2 per cent on the year before.

More than half were carried out at home via the pills by post service, according to the report from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities.

Guidance for providing the abortion pills to under-18s will be published by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health soon, the Government said.

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