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Early at-home abortions made permanent in England and Wales

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Women have been able to take both doses of an abortion pill at home since the pandemic, rather than one

Women in England and Wales will now be able to have early medical abortions at home on a permanent basis.

It means those under 10 weeks pregnant will be able to access both pills needed for a termination, once they have had a consultation.

The measure was originally brought in to ease pressure on NHS services during the Covid pandemic.

But now the arrangement, enabling women to take the first, as well as the second, pill at home has been extended.

In Scotland, the service has already been allowed to continue permanently.

Wales announced they would be doing the same earlier this year, but only now is it being written into law.

Stipulations in the new law include that doctors must record where the abortion is taking place and where and how the woman was consulted.

The early abortion process involves taking mifepristone, which stops the hormone that allows the pregnancy to continue working.

The second, misoprostol, is normally taken 24-to-48 hours later, and encourages the womb to contract to pass the pregnancy.

After four-to-six hours, the lining of the womb breaks down, causing bleeding and loss of the pregnancy.

It does not need surgery or an anaesthetic.

Minister for Public Health Maggie Throup says giving women this access will provide women with "more choice in how and where they access abortion services, while ensuring robust data is collected to ensure their continued safety".

To go alongside the change, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health will create guidance for under-18s accessing early medical abortions to make sure proper safeguarding is in place.

The public were originally consulted between November 2020 and February 2021 on whether the early-abortion arrangement should be made permanent.

Domestic abuse was raised as a potential issue, but the government says it is committed to providing women with expert care and has also reapproved private-sector abortion clinics in England to make this service available, too.

British Pregnancy Advisory Service chief executive Claire Murphy has said she is "absolutely delighted" that early at-home abortions will now be allowed on a permanent basis.