Abortion Rights welcomes calls from practitioners in the Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care to extend the role of nurses to allow them to perform early abortions. Under the 1967 Abortion Act, which governs abortion access in Britain, women need to seek the approval of two doctors before they can access the procedure. Furthermore, the law is interpreted to mean that the procedure must be carried out by a doctor and be performed in a government approved hospital or clinic. These restrictions can lead to women being obstructed by anti-choice GPs or facing unacceptable delays in service provision.

Anne Quesney, Director of Abortion Rights said:
‘89 per cent of abortions in Britain are carried out at under-13 weeks. Allowing nurses to perform this very straightforward and common procedure would have a positive impact on service provision, women’s access to abortion and NHS waiting times. Currently, depending where they live, women can face lengthy delays. Government guidelines recommend that women should have to wait no longer than three weeks, but a study conducted for the Pro-choice and Sexual Health All Party Parliamentary Group showed that 27 per cent of Primary Care Trusts delayed women beyond 21days . In some extreme cases women face a six-week waiting period. This is totally unacceptable and a recent opinion poll shows that 72 per cent of the population agree.

As we celebrate 40 years of safe, legal abortion, the time has come to take a fresh look at current legislation and allowing nurses to perform early abortions would be a positive step in that direction.’

[Ends] For more information, or to arrange an interview, please contact Anne Quesney, Director on 020 7923 9792

NOTES TO EDITORS
• Abortion Rights is the national pro-choice campaign, working to defend and extend abortion rights and provide a pro-choice voice to the media.

• Abortion Rights is campaigning to:
• Liberalise the current UK abortion law and make abortion available on request at least in the first three months.
• Improve access to, and experience of, abortion – ensure that all women in the UK have equal access to safe, legal and free abortion.
• Oppose any restrictions to women’s current rights and access to abortion.

• The Abortion Act requires that two doctors must agree that the risk to a woman’s physical or mental health, or the risk to her children’s physical or mental health will be greater, if she continues with the pregnancy than if she ends it. This applies up until 24 weeks’ gestation. This Act does not apply in Northern Ireland.

• Having an abortion poses fewer medical risks than going through pregnancy and birth, for most women. See the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ (RCOG) website for more details.

• A recent opinion poll conducted by GFK/NOP and commissioned by Abortion Rights and the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust on 4 March 2007 revealed the following:

‘Do you think that women should or should not have the right to choose and abortion in the first three months of pregnancy?’ 77 per cent agree
17 per cent disagreed
6 per cent did not know.

‘Do you think it is acceptable or unacceptable that a woman who has been referred for an abortion should have to wait beyond three weeks for the procedure?’ 72 per cent said it was not acceptable
17 per cent said it was acceptable
7 per cent said that they did not know.

In addition, only three per cent stated that ‘under no circumstances would it be acceptable to have an abortion’.