Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the implications for its policies of (a) the recommendation by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' in the 2010 working party report, Fetal Awareness: Review of Research and Recommendations for Practice, that the fetus does not require analgesia for interventions occurring before 24 weeks of gestation and that evidence that analgesia confers any benefit on the fetus at any gestation is lacking and (b) research published by the British Medical Journal of Medical Ethics in 2020 on Reconsidering fetal pain, supporting the possibility of fetal pain before 24 weeks.
Answered by Maggie Throup
No specific assessment has been made as the Department does not set clinical practice.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is currently reviewing its report ‘Fetal Awareness: Review and Recommendations for Practice’. The College has established a review group to consider the latest evidence on fetal pain and fetal awareness which is expected to report on its findings by the end of 2022.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing interim guidelines permitting fetal painkiller in all interventions in utero.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The Department does not set guidelines for clinical practice. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists considered the issue of fetal pain and awareness in its guidelines ‘Fetal Awareness: Review of Research and Recommendations for Practice’. The Royal College is currently reviewing this guidance.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent correspondence he has had with domestic abuse charities on the use of at-home abortion in cases of domestic abuse.
Answered by Maggie Throup
During the Government’s consultation on the temporary approval which allowed home use of early medical abortion, we assessed evidence from the responses received, including from domestic abuse charities.
We will work with those in the violence against women and girls sector and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner to monitor the impact as face to face services return from August 2022.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential relationship between domestic abuse and at-home abortion.
Answered by Maggie Throup
During the Government’s consultation on the temporary approval which allowed home use of early medical abortion, we assessed evidence from the responses received, including from domestic abuse charities.
We will work with those in the violence against women and girls sector and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner to monitor the impact as face to face services return from August 2022.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of expanding the eligibility requirements of the Government’s human papillomavirus vaccination programme to include more adults in the 35-45 age bracket.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) keeps the eligibility criteria of all vaccination programmes under review and considers new evidence as it emerges.
In 2018, a human papillomavirus (HPV) programme targeting men who have sex with men (MSM) aged up to 45 years old who attend sexual health clinics was introduced, after a recommendation from the JCVI as they are a high-risk group for HPV exposure and some related cancers. Clinicians can offer the HPV vaccine to individuals in this age group who have a similar risk profile to the eligible MSM population.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in the context of the death of Sarah Dunn in April 2020, what steps his Department is taking to (a) prevent deaths following medical abortions and (b) improve safety standards for women seeking abortion.
Answered by Maggie Throup
Regular meetings are held with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and abortion service providers to ensure the appropriate safeguards are in place to protect women accessing abortion services.
All services registered by the CQC to provide termination of pregnancy services are subject to ongoing monitoring and providers have a statutory duty to report incidents to the CQC. Where concerns or evidence of risk are identified, the CQC will follow up to ensure the safety of woman accessing those services and will use its enforcement powers where necessary to protect people. In addition, Prevention of Future Deaths Reports play a valuable role in drawing matters of concern to the attention of the Government, its agencies and others to determine if action is needed or should be taken.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many reports of home abortions carried out (a) above 24 weeks and (b) at 28 weeks gestation the Department received between January and June 2020; and whether those reports are accounted for in his Department's response to FOI-1250644.
Answered by Maggie Throup
From January to June 2020, the Department was not notified of any abortions in England and Wales where one or both medical abortion pills were taken at home at 24 weeks gestation or above. The Department was also not notified of any abortions where one or both medical abortion pills were taken at home at 28 weeks gestation for residents of England and Wales, from January to June 2020. This aligns with our response to FOI-1250644.
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of safeguards to ensure that medical abortion pills sent to women by post without an in-person consultation are taken within the legal limit of ten weeks’ gestation.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The Department continues to carefully monitor the impact of and compliance with the temporary approval of home administration of both sets of abortion medication. Officials have regular meetings with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Care Quality Commission and abortion service providers to ensure the appropriate safeguards are in place to protect women accessing this service.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has issued clinical guidelines for healthcare professionals on ‘Coronavirus infection and abortion care’. The guidance sets out the circumstances where women should be asked to attend a clinic for an ultra-sound scan. However, it states that “most women can determine the gestational age of their pregnancy with reasonable accuracy by last menstrual period (LMP) alone”. The Royal College’s guidance includes a decision aid for clinicians to use to help determine if an ultra-sound scan is required. This includes detailed questions to identify gestational age.