Abortion: Misoprostol

(asked on 23rd April 2018) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of allowing women to take misoprostol at home; and whether abortion clinics provide facilities to allow women to remain at the clinic until the process has finished.


Answered by
Jackie Doyle-Price Portrait
Jackie Doyle-Price
This question was answered on 1st May 2018

The Government’s priority is to ensure that women who require abortion services have access to safe, high-quality care. Abortions in England must be performed under the legal framework set by the Abortion Act 1967. We are not currently in a position to recommend that the home be approved as a class of place under Section 1(3)(a) of the Abortion Act in England. However, we are keeping the position under review, including reviewing the available evidence, and having regard to the ongoing legal proceedings concerning home use in Scotland.

After taking misoprostol in a National Health Service hospital or approved independent sector clinic, women may choose to return to the privacy of their own home to complete the procedure. When it is necessary for the woman to remain in the clinic the appropriate arrangements should be made to facilitate this.

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