UK – RCOG launches “Better for Women” report

RCOG launches “Better for Women” report
UK women facing widespread barriers to essential healthcare services

RCOG News,
29 November 2019

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) is calling for better joined up services, as part of its “Better for Women” report, published today. It emphasises the need for national strategies to meet the needs of girls and women across their life course – from adolescence, to the middle years and later life.

There should also be greater focus on moving the UK away from providing a disease intervention service towards a preventative health service, says the report.

Continued; https://www.rcog.org.uk/en/news/rcog-launches-better-for-women-report/

UK – Why We’re Campaigning To Change Abortion Law

Why We’re Campaigning To Change Abortion Law

Vicky Spratt
21 October 2019

At some point in their lives, before the age of 45, one in three women will have an abortion. Just like pregnancy itself, the need to terminate one is a fact of life. More than this, being able to access safe, free and legal abortion services should you need to is acknowledged to be a basic human right for women and pregnant people.

Since 1967, abortion has been legal in England, Scotland and Wales because of the Abortion Act, a victory that was hard-fought and won by campaigners. For those of us who have grown up in Britain since, access to abortion is something we have (for the most part) been able to take for granted.

Continued: https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/2019/10/8572968/imacriminal-abortion-campaign

RCOG response to latest abortion statistics in England and Wales

RCOG response to latest abortion statistics in England and Wales

News 13 June 2019

The Department of Health and Social Care published statistics today which show the number of abortions carried out in England and Wales is at its highest level.

There were 200,608 abortions in 2018, an increase of 4% on the previous year.

Overall, abortion rates have increased in the last decade for all women over the age of 25. Less than half (48%) of abortions were to women who had already had one or more previous births.

Continued: https://www.rcog.org.uk/en/news/rcog-response-to-latest-abortion-statistics-in-england-and-wales/

13.06.2019

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unmet need for contraception

Letter: Access to abortion is a basic human right

Access to abortion is a basic human right

Lesley Regan, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, condemns abortion laws in Alabama and Northern Ireland, and Nik Wood supports Gaby Hinsliff’s call for pro-choice men to speak up

Sun 19 May 2019

Last week the state of Alabama signed into law a bill that prevents women accessing safe abortion services, even in cases of rape and incest (Report, 16 May). Doctors who perform abortion will face up to 99 years in jail. We expect our government to condemn this law in the harshest possible terms and to uphold the determination by the UN that access to abortion is a human right. We expect our government to stand strong with those who will tirelessly fight this injustice by raising this issue at the highest possible levels.

We know that sanctions do not deter women from seeking abortion, but drive them to unsafe treatments or force them to travel to other places. But the voice of the UK is diminished and its authority undermined by the even more draconian abortion laws in Northern Ireland, which criminalise women as well as doctors.

It is time for this government to act, to legislate for safe abortion services in Northern Ireland and to denounce this unjust movement, spreading across America, which will cost women and girls their lives.

Professor Lesley Regan
President, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/19/access-to-abortion-is-a-basic-human-right

19.05.2019

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UK – Women will have faster and easier access to abortions under new national guidelines

ABORTION OVERHAUL Women will have faster and easier access to abortions under new national guidelines
Clinics will have to offer a consultation by phone or video within a week of a request as officials warn that long waits are distressing and increase health risks

By Shaun Wooller
12th April 2019

WOMEN will be given quicker and easier access to abortions under new national guidelines.

Clinics will have to offer patients a consultation in person, on the phone or via video call within one week of them requesting one.

Continued: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8846582/abortion-national-guidelines-faster-easier/

12.04.2019

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England Plans to Approve Home Use of Abortion Medication

England Plans to Approve Home Use of Abortion Medication
"This decision by the government will enable tens of thousands of women each year to complete their treatment in the comfort and privacy of their own home," said Richard Bentley, managing director at Marie Stopes UK.

Aug 27, 2018
Dennis Carter

People in England who are less than ten weeks into pregnancy will soon be able to take the second of two abortion pills at home, rather than making two trips to a clinic to take the medication — a requirement that has proven untenable and dangerous for those who live far from a clinic.

England’s policy on medication abortion will change by the end of 2018, BBC News reports. The announcement was made Saturday.

Continued: https://rewire.news/article/2018/08/27/england-plans-to-approve-home-use-of-abortion-medication/

Use of second abortion pill at home to be allowed in England

Use of second abortion pill at home to be allowed in England
Government says home use of misoprostol will be legalised by end of 2018

Haroon Siddique
Sat 25 Aug 2018

Women in England are to be allowed to take the second abortion pill at home, giving them the same rights as their counterparts in Scotland and Wales.

The UK government announced on Saturday that it would legalise the home use of early medical abortion drugs by the end of the year. It comes after pressure from campaigners for England to follow in the footsteps of Scotland, which last year became the first part of the UK to introduce the option, and Wales, which announced its own plans in June.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/25/use-of-second-abortion-pill-at-home-to-be-allowed-in-england

UK – Women will soon be allowed to take an abortion pill at home for the first time

ABORTION AT HOME
Women will soon be allowed to take an abortion pill at home for the first time

By Lynsey Hope
25th August 2018

WOMEN will soon be allowed to take an abortion pill at home for the first time.

The landmark move was welcomed by campaigners who said that visiting a clinic can cause unnecessary stress and anxiety.

Continued: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/7095299/women-will-soon-be-allowed-to-take-an-abortion-pill-at-home-for-the-first-time/

Scottish women retain right to take abortion pills at home

Scottish women retain right to take abortion pills at home
Anti-abortion challenge fails as Westminster urged to follow Holyrood’s example

Libby Brooks, Scotland correspondent
Wed 15 Aug 2018

The Scottish government’s decision to allow women to take the abortion pill in their own homes has been upheld following a legal challenge by the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) Scotland.

Doctors welcomed the ruling by the court of session in Edinburgh as “a very significant step forward”, after the anti-abortion campaign group argued that the licensing of the drug misoprostol for home use was “unlawful” and a threat to women’s health and that of their unborn babies.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/15/scottish-women-retain-right-to-take-abortion-pills-at-home

UK – Women ‘illegally taking abortion pill at home’

Women 'illegally taking abortion pill at home'

By Jean Mackenzie
Victoria Derbyshire programme
31 July 2018

Women are illegally taking abortion pills, which they have bought online, at home to avoid enduring abortions on public transport. In England, abortion pills must be administered in a clinic or hospital. For some this means the pill can take effect on their journey home.

Campaigners say women should be able to take the second pill at home, as buying pills online can be dangerous. The Department of Health said it was monitoring the evidence on home use.

Continued: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-45007707