UK – Morning‑after pill now free at your local pharmacy – what you need to know

August 10, 2026
Dipa Kamdar, Associate Professor in Pharmacy Practice, Kingston University

Almost 305,000 doses of the morning-after pill were provided free of charge in England’s high street pharmacies in the first five months of the new contraception service, according to new NHS data (October 2025 to March 2026). This figure marks one of the biggest changes in access to emergency contraception in decades, putting a free morning-after pill within easier reach of millions of women.

The change is straightforward: women can now walk into most high street pharmacies and get the morning-after pill free of charge after a short, private consultation with a pharmacist or trained pharmacy technician. It removes the need to book a GP appointment, visit a sexual health clinic or wait for an appointment.

Continued; https://theconversation.com/morning-after-pill-now-free-at-your-local-pharmacy-what-you-need-to-know-288668

10.08.2026

EllaOne

emergency contraception

Levonelle

levonorgestrel

morning after pill

NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service

over the counter emergency contraception

Changes to the law on abortion in England and Wales

An overview of how the law on abortion in England and Wales has changed following the assent of the Crime and Policing Act 2026.

Wednesday, 22 July, 2026
Elizabeth Rough

The purpose of this briefing is to provide an overview of how the law on abortion in England and Wales has changed following the assent of the Crime and Policing Act 2026. It does not comment on, or add to, the debate on the ethics of abortion.

Abortion is a medical intervention through which a pregnancy is ended and does not result in a live birth. It is sometimes referred to as a ‘termination of a pregnancy’. Abortion is lawful in England and Wales provided the criteria in the Abortion Act 1967 are met. The 1967 act provides that abortions carried out in accordance with the conditions in the act will not be criminal offences under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and the Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929.

Continued: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-10970/

22.07.2026

Research

Abortion Act 1967

abortion law reform

Crime and Policing Act

Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929

Offence Against the Person Act

The Anti-Abortion Movement Is Changing the Rules in Plain Sight

16 Jul 2026
Alisa Berry Ryan

The anti-abortion movement does not always start by announcing a ban. Sometimes it starts with a new definition. A benefits rule. A court case. A “religious freedom” argument. A Victorian law dragged back into use because apparently the 1800s did not do enough damage the first time around.

That is the pattern running through this week’s news.

From Spain to the US, conservative politicians, far-right parties and Christian-right legal groups are using different tactics to push the same idea: that embryos should have more legal protection, while women should have less control over their own pregnancies.

Continued: https://abortionrights.org.uk/the-weekly-spotlight-the-anti-abortion-movement-is-changing-the-rules-in-plain-sight/

Scotland – Arbroath High School teacher ‘fired over sharing abortion views’

July 13, 2026
By Donald Erskine

A legal battle is underway after a substitute teacher claims she was fired for "sharing her views on abortion with a class."

Sarah Morse, originally from the United States of America, was teaching at Arbroath High School after briefly stating her "Roman Catholic view" on abortion in response to pupils’ questions.

On November 19, she was working as a cover teacher with an S3 class when pupils began asking her informal questions about being American, such as about food, school systems and lockers, which she routinely answers at the start of classes. Morse says the pupils "realised she would give her opinion on more controversial things" and one pupil asked the 66-year-old what she thought about abortion, to which she said she replied: “I am a faithful Roman Catholic, and I am against it.”

Continued: https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/26275162.arbroath-high-school-teacher-fired-sharing-abortion-views/

14.07.2026

Society for the Protection of Unborn Children

Europe

Scotland

Anti-choice

UK: The Anti-Abortion Movement Is Coming for Contraception Too

There is a pattern here, and we are calling it out.

09 Jul 2026
Alisa Berry Ryan

This week, reproductive rights news has been full of the same old anti-abortion playbook: spread stigma, muddy the facts, pretend healthcare is dangerous, and then act shocked when people demand easier access to basic reproductive care.

The latest target? The morning-after pill.

Emergency contraception works best the sooner it is taken. Yet access still depends on whether your local pharmacy is open, whether you can travel, whether you can pay, and whether you are forced into a conversation at a counter when what you need is safe, effective, time-sensitive healthcare.

Continued: https://abortionrights.org.uk/the-weekly-spotlight-the-anti-abortion-movement-is-coming-for-contraception-too/

09.07.2026

Commentary

Alisa Berry Ryan

College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare

emergency contraception

UK – Mum-of-two shares her abortion story to get closure and help others

Yorkshire Live
Fri, 3 July 2026
Video – 5 minutes

Continued: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/mum-two-shares-her-abortion-143424177.html

03.07.2026

Poll suggests UK public supports morning-after pill being sold in corner shops

Rebecca Whittaker
Wed, July 1, 2026

The morning-after pill should be sold in corner shops and petrol stations like paracetamol, doctors have suggested, after a poll highlighted public concerns about accessing the contraceptive.

Almost half of the UK population (43 per cent) say it would be difficult to access emergency contraception on a Sunday, while almost two-thirds (65 per cent) believe it would be difficult to obtain after 10pm.

Results also suggest only 7 per cent of people believe it would be difficult to access emergency contraception during the daytime on a weekday, with perceived barriers rising dramatically outside typical opening hours.

Continued: https://ca.news.yahoo.com/poll-suggests-uk-public-supports-094351671.html

01.07.2026

News

College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare

Dr Zara Haider

emergency contraception

morning after pill

Europe

United Kingdom

UK / USA – The Weekly Spotlight: The Anti-Abortion Rebrand

01 Jul 2026
Alisa Berry Ryan

Last week, we looked at the international networks linking anti-abortion campaigners, far-right politicians and conservative organisations. This week, we’re looking at something different: the rebrand.

Rather than talking only about abortion, anti-abortion campaigners are increasingly framing their arguments around “religious freedom”, environmental protection and opposition to so-called “woke” institutions. It’s a strategy designed to broaden their appeal, build new alliances and bring reproductive rights into the wider culture war.

Continued: https://abortionrights.org.uk/the-weekly-spotlight-the-anti-abortion-rebrand/

01.07.2026

Blog

Alisa Berry Ryan

anti-abortion rebrand

anti-choice campaigns

Update on abortion law reform in Scotland

The Scottish government is planning to reform abortion law. An expert group was set up in 2024 and its recommendations were published in November 2025.

Royal College of Nursing
25 Jun 2026

The Scottish government asked key stakeholders, including the RCN, to share views on the 36 recommendations that set out what reforms the expert group think the Scottish government should make. Our feedback will be used by the Scottish government to inform their next steps, and we expect the government to publish its proposals for abortion reform later this year or early 2027.

Most of the 36 recommendations made by the expert group are in keeping with RCN’s positions on abortion law reform. Our positions focus on the right to choose; access to safe care; the right to conscientious objection except in an emergency; and that abortion is governed by regulatory not criminal law.

Continued: https://www.rcn.org.uk/news-and-events/news/abortion-law-reform-250626

25.06.2026

Commentary

abortion law reform

ANdrew Jackson

Royal College of Nursing

AI & Abortion Care: How people are using AI to find abortion care, and how this might be dangerous

22 June 2026
Chloe Hanse, Amnesty Feminist Network Committee Member

Abortion is a common healthcare procedure in the UK: 1 in 3 women will have one in their lifetime.[1] Despite this prevalence, it remains a heavily stigmatised and taboo topic. That gap, between how routine it is and how shameful it's made to feel, might explain why so many people now turn to Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots when they need information.

AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini, Meta AI, and Grok have become a new way that people find information about abortion care.[2] These tools are fast, available at any hour, and they feel private [3]. You don't have to sift through pages of search results. For many people, asking a chatbot about abortion probably feels emotionally easier than calling a clinic. There is no receptionist, no unknown of how whoever picks up a helpline will react, no worry about ‘burdening’ a healthcare provider with questions. You just ask a question, and something answers, and it does so in a confident, authoritative tone that can make it easy to take the information at face value.

Continued: https://www.amnesty.org.uk/get-involved/join-the-movement/join-a-group-or-network/amnesty-feminists/blog/ai-abortion-care-how-people-are-using-ai-to-find-abortion-care-and-how-this-might-be-dangerous/