A vulnerable woman has told the General Medical Council she felt ‘scared and pressured’ when the medical director of a major abortion provider quizzed her about ‘abortion reversal’ treatment she received from a pro-life doctor.
The woman, a mother in her 40s, sought help from NHS consultant Dr Dermot Kearney after she started a ‘pills by post’ abortion, but then changed her mind.
Dr Kearney prescribed the sex hormone progesterone, which some doctors believe can reverse the effects of the first abortion pill, called mifepristone, if taken soon afterwards.
MSI has claimed Dr Kearney, pictured, inappropriately prescribed progesterone for a use which has ‘no evidence base’ behind it, acted outside his clinical competence, and imposed his anti-abortion beliefs on patients
Cat Harvey-JennerGetty Images
A ground-breaking new study of over 50,000 medical abortions has found that the at-home option (introduced temporarily during the pandemic, for those up to 10 weeks pregnant) was not only safe and effective, but allowed more people to easily access the healthcare they required. The results of the study have been released during an especially poignant time, as the government is currently examining whether or not to make at-home abortions a permanent option in England.
The study looked at abortions carried out in England, Scotland and Wales, both before and after the pandemic, and researchers, from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), MSI Reproductive Choices UK and the University of Texas at Austin, say their aim was to compare the data and see how the telemedicine service compares to the services previously available.
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First published on Thu 18 Feb 2021 13.07 EST
Temporary legislation allowing for early medical abortions (EMAs) to take place at home should be made permanent, reproductive healthcare groups have said.
In March, due to the coronavirus pandemic, temporary legislation was introduced that allowed patients within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy to take pills for early medical abortion in their own homes. This follows a phone call or e-consultation with a clinician, and means the patient does not need to physically attend a hospital or clinic.
A consultation, due to close on 26 February, is now under way by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to determine whether the temporary legislation should be made permanent.