Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the number of cases of domestic abuse and coercion connected with the home use of early medical abortion pills since March 2020.

The Department recognises safeguarding as an essential aspect of abortion care and officials are working with the Domestic Abuse Commissioners Office to understand issues related to domestic abuse and coercion and home-use of early medical abortion (EMA).

All abortion providers are required to have effective arrangements in place to safeguard women and girls accessing abortion services who may be experiencing domestic abuse or coercion. Following Parliament’s decision to make provisions for at home early medical abortion to be made permanent from 30 August, the Department is ensuring that robust safeguarding systems and processes for home use of EMA are embedded in all abortion services.