JimoVTR
12th October 2007, 18:06
DIY Abortion kits.....
what do you lot think...
I think this kind of thing needs to be left to professional really.
and..... Discuss
Government advisers are paving the way to making abortions more accessible for women after recommending that do-it-yourself terminations are safe to perform.
Comments by leading medical associations suggest that laws could be relaxed to allow women to take drugs that induce a miscarriage while at home.
They also conclude that women should no longer have to seek the signatures of two doctors if they want an early abortion, as it can cause unnecessary delay and distress.
The recommendations emerged in evidence to MPs who are conducting an inquiry into abortion legislation, which could be amended later this year.
Women opting for a drug-induced abortion in Britain are given two tablets under medical supervision.
The first, mifepristone, blocks pregnancy hormones and detaches the foetus from the womb. The second, misoprostol, is taken two days later and leads to a miscarriage within a few hours.
Women are currently administered both pills in a hospital or clinic but if the law is changed they may be able to take the second stage of the course at home.
The Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV stated in its evidence that: "It is perfectly safe for the second stage of early medical abortion to be carried out at home within the structure of properly organised services."
However, advisers from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists gave warning that more research was required before any changes were made to the law.
Their report says: "Regarding abortion at home, there is an increasing body of evidence from both developed and developing countries that home use of mifepristone/misoprostol is safe, effective and acceptable to many women.
"More work is needed to assess safety and acceptability in the UK context."
The RCOG and the British Medical Association supports scrapping the rule requiring women to obtain two signatures to get a termination, a move regarded as significant for the college which has not previously challenged current abortion law.
The college concludes that the upper time limit for abortions, of 24 weeks, should not be reduced as the chances of a child surviving before that have not been significantly improved. The opinions bring them into line with the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Nursing.
The evidence will form the centre of debate on the Bill next week, which comes almost 40 years after abortion was first legalised in Britain, and could lead to changes in the law as many MPs have signalled that they will be guided in their decisions by medical opinion.
But not all on the committee will be in support of the two bodies. Dr Bob Spink, the Conservative MP for Castle Point, said: "I am not a Catholic or a black and white anti-abortionist but I think the RCOG and BMA have been overcome by political correctness.
"This is the most important decision a woman can make and she must think carefully before choosing to end the life of her child."
The number of terminations in Britain has reached record levels and one woman in three has an abortion before she is 45.
A spokesman for the Department of Health said there were no plans to change the law to allow women to have abortions at home.
The drugs are not licensed to be used in the home and the second drug can only legally be given by a registered medical professional.
what do you lot think...
I think this kind of thing needs to be left to professional really.
and..... Discuss
Government advisers are paving the way to making abortions more accessible for women after recommending that do-it-yourself terminations are safe to perform.
Comments by leading medical associations suggest that laws could be relaxed to allow women to take drugs that induce a miscarriage while at home.
They also conclude that women should no longer have to seek the signatures of two doctors if they want an early abortion, as it can cause unnecessary delay and distress.
The recommendations emerged in evidence to MPs who are conducting an inquiry into abortion legislation, which could be amended later this year.
Women opting for a drug-induced abortion in Britain are given two tablets under medical supervision.
The first, mifepristone, blocks pregnancy hormones and detaches the foetus from the womb. The second, misoprostol, is taken two days later and leads to a miscarriage within a few hours.
Women are currently administered both pills in a hospital or clinic but if the law is changed they may be able to take the second stage of the course at home.
The Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV stated in its evidence that: "It is perfectly safe for the second stage of early medical abortion to be carried out at home within the structure of properly organised services."
However, advisers from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists gave warning that more research was required before any changes were made to the law.
Their report says: "Regarding abortion at home, there is an increasing body of evidence from both developed and developing countries that home use of mifepristone/misoprostol is safe, effective and acceptable to many women.
"More work is needed to assess safety and acceptability in the UK context."
The RCOG and the British Medical Association supports scrapping the rule requiring women to obtain two signatures to get a termination, a move regarded as significant for the college which has not previously challenged current abortion law.
The college concludes that the upper time limit for abortions, of 24 weeks, should not be reduced as the chances of a child surviving before that have not been significantly improved. The opinions bring them into line with the British Medical Association and the Royal College of Nursing.
The evidence will form the centre of debate on the Bill next week, which comes almost 40 years after abortion was first legalised in Britain, and could lead to changes in the law as many MPs have signalled that they will be guided in their decisions by medical opinion.
But not all on the committee will be in support of the two bodies. Dr Bob Spink, the Conservative MP for Castle Point, said: "I am not a Catholic or a black and white anti-abortionist but I think the RCOG and BMA have been overcome by political correctness.
"This is the most important decision a woman can make and she must think carefully before choosing to end the life of her child."
The number of terminations in Britain has reached record levels and one woman in three has an abortion before she is 45.
A spokesman for the Department of Health said there were no plans to change the law to allow women to have abortions at home.
The drugs are not licensed to be used in the home and the second drug can only legally be given by a registered medical professional.