The department for health and social care has confirmed that the ‘pills by post’ abortion scheme introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic will end from August in England.

The Welsh government announced this afternoon that the scheme will remain in place in Wales.

Currently, women can access both abortion pills following a telemedical consultation with a nurse, midwife, or doctor.

Prior to the pandemic, an in-person appointment was required as part of the abortion process.

In 2021, the government ran a consultation on whether to keep telemedicine as a permanent option.

Savanta ComRes polling from 2020 suggested that the general public and GPs are concerned about home abortions. 71 per cent of the general population and 75 per cent of women in England expressed concerns over about women undergoing an abortion procedure at home.

The polling also suggested that 84 per cent of the general population and 86 per cent of women are concerned about women being at risk of being coerced into an abortion by a partner or family member during the home abortion process where a doctor does not see the woman in person.

The scheme has also been accused of safety issues, with a November 2021 study suggesting that more than 10,000 women had to receive hospital treatment following the use of medical abortion pills in England between April 2020 and September 2021.

A leaked email from an NHS England and NHS Improvement Regional Chief Midwife on the ‘escalating risk’ around home abortion disclosed that there have been several incidents including ruptured ectopic pregnancies and resuscitation for major haemorrhage, that a woman who received ‘at-home’ abortion pills through the post was found to be 32 weeks pregnant, and that there are three police investigations linked to late ‘at-home’ abortions, including a ‘murder investigation as there is concern that the baby was live born’.

Catherine Robinson, spokesperson for the pro-life charity Right To Life UK, said: “Given that the current temporary provision continues to put women at risk, we are disappointed that the provision has not been ended on its planned end date of 30 March 2022, but we do welcome the Government’s decision to ensure that women get an in-person appointment before having an abortion and make sure no more women are put at risk by the temporary provision from 30 August 2022”.

“At-home abortion schemes have been linked to a series of scandals where women have been put at risk by the removal of an in-person consultation.

“A study released in November 2021 suggested that more than 10,000 women had to receive hospital treatment following the use of medical abortion pills in England between April 2020 and September 2021.

 “By removing a routine in-person consultation that allows medical practitioners to certify gestation and recognise potential coercion or abuse, ‘at-home’ abortion has presented serious risks to women and girls in abusive situations. It has allowed severe complications to occur, as well as abortions beyond the legal limit, as abortion providers currently cannot ensure the pills are taken by the intended individual within the appropriate time frame”.

Clare Murphy, chief executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service- the UK’s largest abortion provider- criticised the decision, accusing the government of  “playing politics with women’s health”.

She explained: “The government has today confirmed a six-month extension for the permission for at-home early medical abortion, and has committed to keeping this matter under review. If, at the end of this six-month period, the government were indeed to revoke legal permission for this service it would be a shameful betrayal of women and a decision devoid of both evidence or justice.

 “Over the next six months we will continue, along with medical experts including the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Royal College of General Practitioners, the BMA, and the Royal College of Midwives, to reiterate to the government that removing access to at-home early medical abortion care would be disastrous for women and that to do so would be to wilfully ignore the vast body of clinical evidence that demonstrates that this is a safe, effective, and world-leading service.

“The revocation of telemedical abortion care would force vulnerable women in the most difficult of circumstances, who cannot access in-clinic treatment, to resort to illegal methods again and face criminal sanction as a result.  It is why the service is supported by all leading women’s rights organisations.