UK Lawmakers to Consider Making At-Home Abortions Permanent after More Than 90,000 Are Performed Since March

Women in the United Kingdom may be able to obtain an at-home abortion even after the pandemic has passed, according to The Christian Post.

In March, the British government allowed pregnant women to acquire mifepristone and misoprostol after a tele-visit with a medical professional in order to terminate their pregnancy. The provision was initially set to only last 18 months in order to curb the spread of the pandemic. Now, however, Health Minister Lord James Bethell says the government may continue to allow the practice.

“Thanks to telemedicine, women have been able to access the timely, high-quality care they deserve,” Lord said. “Had this not been available the consequences could have been catastrophic.”

According to The Mirror, roughly 90,000 children have been aborted in the UK since March. The pills are only available for women up to ten weeks pregnant.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson originally restricted home terminations but eventually changed his mind as COVID-19 continued to spread.

Though some health officials have applauded the possible permanent measure, several critics, such as Senior Research Fellow Dr. Helen Watt of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre, have expressed their concern of taking the pills unsupervised.

“[Allowing ‘pills by post’] was in the teeth of opposition from those pointing out the dangers to women: severe…