British Pregnancy Advisory Service

Briefing on access to abortion services

bpas (British Pregnancy Advisory Service), a registered charity since 1968,  is the UK's leading specialist abortion provider and carried out almost 50,000 abortions last year. Almost 80 per cent of treatment carried out by bpas is under contract to the NHS.

Why do women need abortion?

Abortion is an important part of sexual health services and it should be recognised that abortion services are part of a comprehensive health service. 

It is impossible to prevent all unintended pregnancies because contraception is not 100 per cent effective.  Women are being responsible and are using contraception; almost 70 per cent of the women attending bpas clinics used a form of contraception. 

What do the public think about abortion?

The right to have abortion is consistently well supported in Britain.  Polls show that more than three quarters – 76 per cent of those polled – support a women’s right to have an abortion .

bpas commissioned a MORI poll in 2001 asking ‘how important you think a political candidate’s position on abortion is, in deciding whether or not to vote for that candidate?’.  Forty-three per cent of British people feel it is important, but 50 per cent say that it is not.  This is in contrast to similar research conducted in the United States, where seven in 10 (71%) voters said that a candidate’s handling of abortion was important in determining how they would vote in the 2000 Presidential election.

Is abortion available on demand?

Contrary to recent claims, abortion is not available on demand.  UK law does not allow abortion on request, and women can face serious obstacles in accessing abortion services. 

The 1967 Abortion Act has never been extended to Northern Ireland, where women can only access abortion services in exceptional circumstances.  Instead, thousands of women have to pay for travel, accommodation and fees to have abortions in Britain.

Are there too many abortions?

There is a high number of unintended pregnancies in the UK.  Unlike in many other European countries, comprehensive sex and relationships education is not statutory and many people are not empowered with the knowledge and skills necessary to make safe choices.  Access to expert contraceptive advice and the full range of contraceptive methods is often inadequate .  Even when appropriate contraception is used, no contraceptive method is 100 per cent effective.  Women need to be able to control their fertility. If faced with an unintended pregnancy, a woman is in the best position to make the right choice to continue with a pregnancy or not.

Why do some women need late abortions?

The decision to have an abortion is not an easy one.  Women do not take this lightly, they are choosing the ‘least worst’ option for them.  Less than 2 per cent of all abortions are carried out at 20 weeks or above. There are many reasons why some women present for abortions later in pregnancy.  Some of those reasons are:

Some women simply do not realise they are pregnant – irregular periods or even regular periods while pregnant.

Testing for fetal anomalies – most scans and tests for fetal abnormalities are done after 18 weeks of pregnancy.  Women with wanted pregnancies will require further tests and time to decide whether or not they can continue with the pregnancy.

Denial of pregnancy signs – some women go into denial when faced with an unplanned pregnancy.  The women may not be able to accept that she is pregnant and will only do so when it cannot physically be ignored.

Delay in decision – sometimes this is due to deep-seated ambivalence which may, or may not, be helped by counselling.  It is common for women to have made several previous appointments for consultation/counselling or treatment – which may have even have been attended – before eventually have a late abortion.

Delayed in the system – In many areas, there are significant delays and barriers to obtaining an abortion.  These delays can happen with the GP or with funding issues as well as lack of appointments.

Change in personal circumstances – sometimes a woman can face dramatic changes in her personal life which means that she feels that she cannot cope with a pregnancy.  This may be because of domestic violence, relationship breakdown or change in financial circumstances.

How can access to abortion services be improved?

Abortion services should be provided by specialists who look at the client needs first.  Women should be able to access local services quickly and they should be offered a choice of procedures if possible. Independent providers such as bpas have staff who have chosen to work in abortion and can provide the best service for the women.  There should be more joint working between the NHS and independent providers to ensure patient choice.

For late abortions, the NHS should under take more procedures and there needs to be better training.  The status of doctors, midwives and nurses working in this field needs to be raised and women need to understand that late abortion isn’t always available.

What services does bpas provide?

bpas provides a high quality, affordable, abortion service for women in Britain.  bpas also provide vasectomies and sterilisations, contraceptive services and Chlamydia screening.  bpas has contracts with Primary Care Trusts all over Britain to provide their abortion services.  bpas has 16 clinics and 30 consultation centres and works in partnership with the NHS to provide local services.  bpas carries out more than 70 per cent of the late abortions in the UK.

If you require further information, please contact: Vishnee Sauntoo, Press and PR Manager on 020 7612 0206 or email Vishnee.Sauntoo@bpas.org