Access to telemedical abortion care beyond September 2022

That this House is dismayed by Government plans to end the availability of telemedical abortion care services for early medical abortions up to 9 weeks and 6 days gestation, beyond September 2022; notes that access to this temporary service during the covid-19 lockdowns was crucial to ensuring that women needed an abortion were still able to access vital women’s health services; further notes that the availability of at-home abortion pills has halved women’s waiting times for abortion services and has dramatically reduced the risk of women choosing to access abortion medications illegally or using unsafe methods of termination; is outraged by this Government’s decision to roll-back on women’s reproductive rights; agrees with the Chief Executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) that should the Government proceed to end this service it would be a shameful betrayal of women and a decision devoid of both evidence or justice; and calls on the Government to make permanent the temporary telemedical abortion care introduced during the covid-19 pandemic.