London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 24, 2025

Permanent access to at-home abortions to be granted in England and Wales

Permanent access to at-home abortions to be granted in England and Wales

Abortion Act to be amended from 30 August after ministers forced to ditch plans to scrap ‘pills by post’ service
Women in England and Wales will be able to permanently access early medical abortions at home from next week after ministers were forced to abandon plans to scrap the “pills by post” service.

The move will benefit thousands of women who wish to take the tablets needed to end a pregnancy in the privacy of their own home, rather than having to take the first pill at a clinic or hospital.

The temporary measure was initially introduced during the early stages of the Covid pandemic in 2020 so that women could access treatment after a phone or online consultation instead of visiting a clinic.

Medical abortion involves taking two different medicines to end pregnancy. The pills have to be taken within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, but, before the pandemic, only the second set of pills could be taken at home.

In February, ministers said the new measures would be scrapped in England at the end of August 2022. Maggie Throup, the public health minister, prompted a major outcry from medical groups, pro-choice organisations and abortion service providers when she announced the two-year “pills by post” service would be extended to the end of August but then axed altogether.

Wales decided to make the scheme permanent and ministers only agreed to do the same in England after a revolt by MPs in a free vote in March.

The Department of Health and Social Care on Tuesday confirmed that new legislation would allow women to access pills for early medical abortion via a phone or online consultation, and for both sets of pills to be taken at home for pregnancies of up to nine weeks and six days.

Throup said: “The wellbeing and safety of women requiring access to abortion services is paramount. With these measures women will have more choice in how and where they access abortion services, while ensuring robust data is collected to ensure their continued safety.”

The government also said the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health would publish safeguarding guidance for under-18s accessing early medical abortion services to ensure the continued safety of children and young people.

The guidance, to be published imminently, reinforces the principles that young people should have access to early medical abortions in “a timely manner” and that “their holistic and safeguarding needs must be addressed by providers”, the government has said.

The Department of Health and Social Care said that to effectively monitor the impact and use of at-home early medical abortions, doctors would be required to include data on the place of termination and the place of consultation, and whether the consultation was fully remote, on abortion notification forms. This would allow for trends and monitoring pathways for home-use abortions to be analysed, the government said.

Doctors will also be required to certify in “good faith” that the gestation period is below 10 weeks for abortion pills prescribed from home, and if one or both pills are taken at a woman’s home.

The Abortion Act will be amended from 30 August to allow eligible women in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy – up to nine weeks and six days – to continue to access the service.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
×