Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to page 4 of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' report, The Management of Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy and Hypermesis Gravidarum, published in June 2016, what steps he is taking to implement the recommendation that all therapeutic measures should have been tried before offering termination of a wanted pregnancy.

We expect clinicians to follow national guidelines and standards. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists clinical guideline “The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion” sets out that “All women requesting an abortion will require a discussion to determine the degree of certainty of their decision and their understanding of its implications as part of the process of gaining consent”. In the case of women suffering from nausea and vomiting in pregnancy and hyperemesis gravidarum clinicians will wish to consider whether all therapeutic measures have been tried, to ensure that the woman is giving fully informed consent.