BPAS responds to doctors’ vote on abortion

The British Medical Association (BMA) has voted in favour of easing access to abortion in the first trimester.

The BMA on 27 June passed a policy motion by 67% in favour that the BMA should call for UK legislation to be amended so that abortion under 14 weeks would be available on the same basis of informed patient consent as other medical treatments. This would remove the need for two doctors’ signatures before an abortion can be given.

The BMA doctors also voted that the current legal upper time limits regarding abortion be maintained and that patients’ access to later terminations should be safeguarded. The BMA’s Ethics Committee has also recently written a paper supporting these changes from an ethical point of view.

Ann Furedi, Chief Executive of BPAS, said:

‘Today’s new policy is very good news for women. The doctors and ethicists at the BMA have seen the common sense in removing medically out-dated delays to women who need abortion. Abortion in the UK is still regulated by the 1967 Abortion Act. The medical and social landscape was very different then.

‘Today, 89% of women have abortions in the first trimester. Doctors agree that for most women, having an abortion is less medically risky for the woman than continuing with the pregnancy. There is no medical or public interest in retaining unnecessary legal obstacles for doctors and their patients.

‘Society sees parenthood as a significant social responsibility and women expect to be able to plan their families accordingly. The reality is that no contraceptive method is 100% reliable, and that unintended pregnancy can present women with a very serious problem.

‘The 1967 Abortion Act was a much-needed and humane provision in its day, but is widely seen as no longer appropriate to modern ethical and clinical practice. We’re pleased that Parliament will soon be debating abortion and we hope that MPs will follow the medical profession’s lead and put the needs of women first.’

BPAS press release, 27 June 2007

Doctors back ‘easier’ abortions, BBC News, 27 June 2007

Also read:

UK: Doctors’ leaders call for abortion law change, Abortion Review, 7 June 2007

1967 Abortion Act section, Abortion Review