You may have seen recent news reports about women and pregnant people in Wales being forced to travel hundreds of miles to access an abortion. The information is alarming:
- Around 175 people from Wales travel to England for surgical abortion care each year
- Surgical abortion is “rarely available” in Wales, meaning people have to travel to England
- ‘Conscientious objection’ – where staff refuse to deliver abortion care – is “widespread”, making the situation worse
If you are in Wales or Scotland, and you need information about travelling to England for an abortion, including covering the costs of travelling, please contact your clinical provider (BPAS, MSI, or NUPAS) who can help you.
Why are people travelling from Scotland and Wales to England for abortion care?
There are several reasons why people are not able to get an abortion in Scotland, Wales, or parts of England.
Abortion is legal up to 23 weeks and 6 days of pregnancy in the UK. However, there is no surgical abortion provision after 18 weeks of pregnancy in Scotland or Wales, meaning women and pregnant people are forced to travel to a clinic elsewhere.
Rural areas can have less abortion provision, meaning people are forced to travel long distances for multiple appointments.
Recent news reports show that ‘conscientious objection’ causes an issue for accessing care. ‘Conscientious objection’ – or refusal to provide care – is when a medical professional refuses to provide abortion care for personal reasons. They have the right to refuse to carry out ‘hands on’ treatment, except in life-threatening emergencies, but they must still ensure the patient receives objective advice and is safely referred to another doctor or service – they cannot obstruct access. In practice, this can delay care.
ASN also hears from people in Britain who don’t know they can access an abortion via the NHS, and need guidance on the process.
In the context of a strategic, well-funded effort to erode abortion rights in the UK, we are alarmed by the lack of provision and the increasing numbers of people contacting our helpline for support.
Legal does not equal accessible
There is an important difference between abortion being legal and abortion being truly accessible. The barriers faced by people in Wales and across the UK are not unique – the same is true for many of the people we hear from on our helpline.
Arbitrary and short abortion limits – typically 12 weeks – means access is only possible if you discover your pregnancy early on. Someone who finds out about a pregnancy around 18 weeks in Scotland or Wales will likely have to travel long distances for care, as will anyone who has to terminate their pregnancy for medical reasons.
Many countries, like Germany and Ireland, have a mandatory waiting period, which can push people over the limit for care, meaning they have to travel.
Some countries have very little clinical provision. Some countries have a problem with doctors refusing abortion care (known as ‘conscientious objection’); in Italy as many as 80% of gynaecologists are registered as refusing abortion care.
Legal does not mean accessible. The laws themselves only tell part of the story. In Britain, abortion has been legal for 60 years, but the number of people contacting ASN for help is increasing.
What you can do
- In Wales, contact for MSs and MPs; in Scotland you can contact your MPs and MSPs to keep abortion provision on their agenda
- Sign up to ASN’s mailing list for more updates on abortion rights in the UK and Europe
- Make a donation to our volunteer-powered helpline, so we can continue to support people
