Right To Life UK has called for an immediate end to the ‘pills by post’ at-home abortion scheme after one of the UK’s largest abortion providers supplied pills through this scheme, which were then used by Stuart Worby to spike a woman’s drink and end the life of her unborn child at 15 weeks gestation. You can read the story in the British Independent newspaper here.
The organisation is also demanding a thorough investigation into The Gynae Centre, the abortion provider that supplied the pills used by Worby. The Gynae Centre is one of the UK’s largest private providers of abortion services and operates the at-home abortion scheme without requiring patients to undergo an in-person consultation with a healthcare provider. Previously, women seeking an abortion were required to attend a medical consultation and take mifepristone—the first medication in the process—under professional supervision in a clinic setting. Without the at-home abortion option, Worby would not have been able to access these pills so easily, and the alleged incident might have been avoided.
This case has reignited concerns about the misuse of at-home abortion schemes, a worry shared by MPs before the program was made permanent. Legislators warned that the program could potentially allow third parties to administer abortion pills to women without their consent.
Earlier this year MPs tabled an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill that would have seen an end to the at-home abortion scheme. The amendment (NC115) was signed by a cross-party group of 52 MPs. Polling published in the Daily Telegraph shows that 71% of women supported the proposed law change and only 9% are in favour of the status quo. In contrast, only 16% of the public support current proposals to decriminalise abortion. In addition, over 800 medical professionals signed a letter to all 650 MPs outlining the risks of late-term at-home abortion and calling on MPs to make a law change to end the at-home abortion scheme.
Similar ‘telemedicine’ abortion is available here in Ireland with equally troubling stories arising. The case of a minor being locked in a room and forced to take abortion pills was covered in the Irish Examiner in October 2022 but ignored by the rest of the media. We will continue in our efforts to stop dangerous telemedicine abortion in Ireland and urge our political representatives to be robust in seeking this change during the next Dáil.