Beach body abortions
by David Scullion, The Critic:
The law on abortion in England and Wales is routinely broken. Claims that clinics have stacks of pre-signed abortion forms are widespread (the law requires two doctors to sign), and one of the legal reasons for abortion – that it would injure the woman’s mental health – is routinely stretched to include almost anything. Lockdown rules, however, have exposed the reality of UK abortion provision.
Previously, terminations could only take place in hospitals or approved abortion clinics. But under the new policy introduced for lockdown, a single doctor can prescribe pills over the phone enabling women to perform their own abortion at home without direct medical supervision. Anti-abortion activists have caught providers on tape saying what most people knew: any reason for abortion is, to providers, valid.
‘Saskia’, an undercover activist, phoned the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), one of the largest providers of abortion, to get abortion pills by post because she didn’t “want to look pregnant on holiday” and was told by BPAS that keeping her beach body was a valid reason to terminate, but the call handler would need to “attach what you tell me to a legal reason.”
All 20 callers involved in the investigation, organised by Christian Concern, were successful in receiving abortion pills from BPAS despite using fake names, dates of birth and gestational dates, including Saskia, the woman who told the call handler she “wanted to really focus on this holiday and just have a good time.”
See also: BPAS offers DIY abortion pills for summer beach body, from Christian Concern
Andrea Williams speaks to BBC Radio 4 Today about abortion judicial review