British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS)

Bpas Briefings

bpas uses its experience of caring for women with unwanted pregnancy to inform those responsible for public policy on reproductive health issues. We work closely with the individuals and organisations responsible for reproductive healthcare. These include the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Department of Health, as well as opinion-formers within the media and international advocacy organisations.

Best Practice in Pregnancy Counselling

Abortion in Britain is regulated according to the Abortion Act (1967), as amended by the Human
Fertilisation and Embryology Act (1990). This stipulates the grounds upon which an abortion can be
performed, and the premises on which an abortion can be carried out: in an NHS hospital or a place
approved by the Secretary of State.

32 reasons not to lower the abortion time limit

Anonymised case-study audit of abortion requests above 22 weeks' gestation in 2008

Early Medical Abortion

bpas believes the law should be modernised in line with international practice and allow doctors to treat women undergoing abortion more appropriately, eg more similarly to women experiencing an early natural miscarriage at the same gestations. This would permit capacity for non-invasive early abortion care to be expanded, making access to earlier abortion more available under 63 days gestation.

Access to abortion in Northern Ireland: Is abortion legal in Northern Ireland?

Women in Northern Ireland do not have the same access to abortion as women in mainland Britain. Abortion law in Northern Ireland remains as it was in England, Wales and Scotland before the 1967 Abortion Act was passed by Parliament.

Why should the nursing and midwifery role be expanded in abortion?

The wording of the Abortion Act 1967 enables abortions to be conducted lawfully only by 'registered medical practitioners'. This is interpreted as meaning only doctors registered by the General Medical Council, and to exclude nurses and midwives who have registration with their own professional bodies. BPAS and the Royal College of Nursing would like to see the wording of the law altered to allow the nursing role in abortion to expand, as has been permitted in other areas of healthcare since the 1960s.

bpas: Abortion in the UK - Prospects and Barriers

bpas finds nearly half of women with unplanned pregnancies experiencing difficulties accessing contraception

Nearly half of women with unplanned pregnancies have experienced difficulties obtaining the contraception of their choice amid greater restrictions on access to the full range of methods, research by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (bpas) suggests.

bpas response to “Boycott 40 Days For Life”

bpas express "deepest thanks" to all those who have made donations on this site, set up in response to the anti-abortion 40 Days For Life campaign in the UK.

bpas: Website hacking arrest an example of concerning escalation in anti-abortion activity

“The website of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (bpas) was hacked into and defaced for a period on 8th March, 2012. Bpas comment here.

bpas: Abortion in the US: Popularity, Politics and Practice

We often hear of the ‘Americanisation’ of abortion politics in the UK, but unpicking the substantive threats to women’s reproductive rights in the US can be a challenge. The 2012 bpas public lecture will explore the current state of abortion politics in the US and, at a time when abortion appears increasingly politicised in the UK, reflect on what lessons can be drawn by those keen to protect women’s reproductive autonomy elsewhere.