BBC reports delays for Early Medical Abortion

A shortage of facilities for women wanting an abortion pill means some are paying privately or having invasive terminations, the BBC has claimed.

The early medical abortion pill must be taken within nine weeks, sometimes with on-the-day hospital treatment. The BBC reports that one woman waited two weeks for an appointment at Bath’s Royal United Hospital (RUH) and when she got to see a doctor she was eight weeks pregnant.

The woman said the hospital had offered her a termination at 12 weeks. ‘They had four tablets for the week, which had been allocated,’ she said. To beat the deadline, the woman, who preferred not to be identified, paid £500 for the pill at a private clinic.

The RUH said demand for this type of medical termination exceeds supply. It added that this was a national problem.

‘We have two beds a week in two clinics where we can offer the complete service around this pill. Demand exceeds supply,’ a spokeswoman said. ‘Our priority is to ensure that we look after the vulnerable and those with specific co-existing medical problems that cannot be safely accommodated elsewhere.’

She added that she did not know if private clinics required patients to stay in hospital after taking the pill.

The head of the Marie Stopes abortion charity in Bristol, Alison Peters, said:

‘Women prefer to take their tablet and go home. And as long as there are no adverse side effects if they want to stay they can, if they want to go home they can… as long as they were not aware of any complications.’

Abortion pill facilities shortage, BBC News, 13 July 2007