With coalition of charities, we call on the Scottish Government to permanently legalise at-home early medical abortion care

Alongside a coalition of charities and organisations, we have published a letter to Maree Todd MSP, The Scottish Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health, and Sport requesting the continuation of telemedicine for early medical abortion beyond the pandemic because telemedical abortion care is safe, effective, and accessible.

Apart from FSRH, signatories include the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists RCOG), The Royal College of Midwives (RCM), The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), Amnesty International Scotland, Doctors for Choice UK, and Scottish Women’s Aid.

At the start of the pandemic, Ministers in Scotland granted temporary permission for early medical abortion treatment to be received by post following a telemedical consultation to reduce the transmission of COVID-19. The experience of the last 14 months has demonstrated that safe, quality care can be provided remotely in Scotland. The impact of this change has been overwhelmingly positive and world leading. A study of more than 600 women choosing medical abortion at home in NHS Lothian last year found that telemedical abortion is ‘safe and has a high efficacy and high acceptability among women’.

Following a public consultation, the government in Scotland is currently considering whether or not to make telemedicine a permanent option for women, and announcements are expected in the coming weeks.

You can read the letter in full here.