Ambulance calls for abortion complications rise 54% in 2020

24 February 2021

Newly available freedom of information requests have shown that early medical abortions, including pills by post, are not as safe as abortion lobbyists have claimed.

A new report, which details the results of these requests to the Care Quality Commission (CQC), NHS Hospital Trusts and NHS Ambulance Trusts reveals that ambulance calls for abortion complications rose by 54% during 2020 following the introduction of DIY abortion.

The report was written and researched by public health consultant and former Marie Stopes International director Kevin Duffy. It finds that:

  • On average, 36 women per month make calls to 999, seeking help for complications arising from an abortion.
    • In England and Wales, each month there are an average of 20 ambulance emergency responses for complications stemming from home abortions.
  • Despite calls for ambulance services generally being 25% lower in 2020 than in 2019, calls which included the words ‘abortion pills’, ‘mifepristone’ or ‘misoprostol’ were 54% higher than the same period in the previous year.
  • 495 women every month are treated in hospital for complications arising from incomplete abortions – some 340 of whom require surgical intervention.
  • Every month, 250 women using abortion pills at home will require hospital treatment to surgically remove ‘retained products of conception.
  • 29 ‘serious incidents’ were investigated by the CQC, including 17 incidents resulting from complications from having taken the pills-by-post.
    • There were 19 cases of hospital treatment after pills had been taken beyond the ten-week legal limit.
    • There were 4 cases where pills were taken after the 24 week limit for all abortion.
  • Overall, the report suggests much higher rates of complications than reported by the Department of Health and Social Care.

Andrea Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern, commented on the recent findings: “Abortion pills are powerful drugs and the idea that women are receiving them through the post and taking them without proper medical supervision hardly bears thinking about.

“Alarmingly, the government is now consulting the public on whether to make this dangerous and often illegal practice permanent, still without any parliamentary scrutiny. Women deserve better than this.”

Read the full report for more details.

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