British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS)

Ongoing Campaigns

Below are some of the campaigns bpas is currently involved in.

Home Use of Abortion Drugs

An increasing number of British women seeking abortion in the first nine weeks of pregnancy opt for the method known as Early Medical Abortion (EMA). This treatment involves two drugs, taken 24-48 hours apart; women take the first drug in the clinic following their consultation and have to return one or two days later to administer the second drug. Most then leave immediately so they can get home for the final stage.

bpas has been campaigning for 10 years to bring UK practice into line with best clinical practice, and with international practice in countries such as the USA, Sweden, and France, by allowing women to take the second drug away with them and administer it in the comfort and privacy of their own homes. This would eliminate the risk that women miscarry as they travel home after treatment, often having come long distances or on public transport, and the anxiety this causes.

In 2011 bpas went to the High Court seeking a legal re-definition of "treatment" under the terms of the Abortion Act that would have enabled a woman to take some of the medication home with her, rather than needing to administer it in a clinic. The judge did not accept this definition, but the ruling did confirm that the Secretary of State for Health has the power to approve women's homes as a "class of place" where certain abortion drugs could be taken. bpas believes it is now imperative that he makes use of this authority.

More information about our home use campaign, and the opportunity to support it, will be available here soon.

Voice for Choice

Voice for Choice is a coalition of UK organisations, including abortion care and sexual healthcare providers such as bpas, who campaign to support a woman's choice on abortion. It works alongside the All Party Parliamentary Pro-choice and Sexual Health Group. Visit the website www.vfc.org.uk to find out more about the aims of the campaign.

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.