NHS England data shows that over 54,000 women have been hospitalised following at-home abortion complications since 2020.
Research organisation Percuity reported that, according to the NHS data, 1-in-17 women who had an abortion at home required hospital care for complications including incomplete abortions, infections, and excessive haemorrhages.
The DIY scheme was introduced in 2020, and now most abortions take place at home.
Minimising dangers
Percuity stated: “The government is fully aware of the numbers of women being admitted to hospital for treatment of abortion complications but for some reason seems unwilling to report these on an annual basis.”
The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children commented: “Campaigners argue that women cannot give informed consent if the risks are downplayed, and that deliberately minimising these dangers is unacceptable.”
The group remarked that telemedicine, which posts out abortion pills to mothers without them seeing a medical professional in person, “is so clearly harming women it’s baffling to think anybody could ignore their plight”.
Deeply troubled
Staff from the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Reproductive Health recently called for DIY abortions to be further liberalised across the UK, despite their poor safety record.
But The Christian Institute’s Head of Communications Angus Saul warned: “There can be severe complications with abortion pills – particularly if taken later in pregnancy – including haemorrhaging and excruciating pain, which are exacerbated by lack of medical supervision.
“We ought to be deeply troubled by this push from ideologically-driven activists to allow even easier access to abortion, which will mean more unborn children being killed, and more women being exposed to the dangers of these pills.”
Home abortions are available for women in Scotland who are under 12 weeks pregnant, while the limit is 10 weeks for England and Wales. Northern Ireland does not allow DIY abortions at any gestation.
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