Abortion is the common name for the medical
process of ending pregnancy. Healthcare
professionals may use the term termination
of pregnancy or just termination to describe
an abortion.
An abortion
is different from a miscarriage (see miscarriage)
where the pregnancy ends without any medical
intervention (although medical treatment
may be needed after a miscarriage).
Confusingly, healthcare professionals sometimes
refer to miscarriage as spontaneous abortion.
Many people
have very strong views and opinions about
abortion (both for and against), often based
on deeply held religious, cultural or philosophical
beliefs. Whilst all of these views
should be respected, the law in the UK (1)
makes it legal to have an abortion in the
first 24 weeks of pregnancy providing certain
criteria are met (see next section).
The law on
abortion (called the Abortion Act 1967)
only covers the UK mainland (England, Scotland
and Wales) and excludes Northern Ireland.
The law also
states that:
- Abortions
must be carried out in a hospital or licensed
clinic.
- Two doctors
must agree that the requirements of the
Abortion Act 1967 have been met.
NHS Abortions
In order
to have an abortion on the NHS you need
a referral of two doctors who have to agree
that the requirements of the Abortion Act
have been met. Usually the first doctor
is the woman’s GP and the second is a doctor
working at the hospital or clinic where
the abortion takes place.
Sometimes
women do not feel happy about approaching
their own GP to ask to be referred for an
abortion. If this is the case, doctors
at some family planning clinics, young people’s
clinics and some genito-urinary medicine
(GUM) clinics will also refer women for
an NHS abortion.
Doctors can
refuse to certify a woman for an abortion
because of their personal beliefs.
If this is the case, they should recommend
another doctor who can help.
Funding of
NHS abortion services differ in various
parts of the country; the level of NHS provision
ranges from more than 90% of local demand
to less than 60% in some areas. In some
areas the NHS will pay for abortions to
be provided by private clinics but in other
areas it may be necessary to pay for an
abortion in a private clinic.
Private
Abortions
You can also
refer yourself for an abortion at a private
clinic although the NHS will not pay for
this. The agreement of two doctors is still
required before the abortion can take place,
but the clinic will make the arrangements.
Costs for
abortions in private clinics vary.
The costs will depend on:
- which
organisation or company carries out the
abortion,
- the stage
of pregnancy (earlier abortions are usually
less expensive),
- whether
an overnight stay is needed.
If you are
considering an abortion, it is important
to talk to somebody about it as soon as
possible.
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Abortion
