Latest news with #RCOG
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
After 'Shocking' Police Abortion Guidance, Here's What Campaigners Want To Happen Next
Following the release of new police guidance detailing how to seize phones and search for medications used to terminate pregnancies in the homes of women after unexpected pregnancy loss, campaigners and doctors are urgently calling for abortion to be decriminalised. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has branded the guidance on child death investigation, which comes from the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) and was updated earlier this year, as 'truly shocking'. If someone is suspected of terminating a pregnancy outside of the legally permitted circumstances, the guidance suggests police could seize phones to examine internet search history, messages and health apps such as menstrual cycle and fertility trackers to 'establish a woman's knowledge and intention in relation to the pregnancy'. It also offers advice on searching for abortifacients (medications used to terminate pregnancies) as well as packaging, documentation and empty medication blister packs. Now, campaigners and doctors are calling for abortion to be decriminalised, with Joeli Brearley, founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, urging people to write to their MPs to ask them to support it. Labour and Co-op MP Stella Creasy has also urged her followers to take action. The NPCC told HuffPost UK: 'Unexpected pregnancy loss is not something which is routinely investigated by police as potential illegal abortion, and these are very rare. 'We recognise how traumatic the experience of losing a child is, with many complexities involved, and any investigation of this nature will always be treated with the utmost sensitivity and compassion.' The council added an investigation would only be initiated 'where there is credible information to suggest criminal activity' and this would often be as a result of concerns raised from medical professionals. 'It is important to stress that due to the individuality of each case, there is no standardised policy to investigate illegal abortions and that police will always work closely with health partners, prioritising the welfare of everyone involved,' said the NPCC. But against a backdrop of reproductive rights being rolled back in the US, campaigners are concerned by the update to police guidance. Over the past two years, six women have appeared in UK courts charged with ending their own pregnancy. Since the introduction of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 (written before women could vote in the UK), only three other convictions of illegal abortion have been reported, the BMJ said. 'Abortion providers have reported that in recent years they have received c.50requests for women's medical records from the police in relation to suspected abortion offence,' a cross-party amendment briefing on the topic said. Abortion is technically still a criminal offence in England and Wales. It is only 'de facto' legal until 24 weeks because of the Abortion Act 1967, which allows people to circumvent the law by meeting certain conditions (getting the sign-off from two doctors, taking place in a hospital or premises approved by the Secretary of State for Health, and meeting one of the seven criteria that allows abortion). According to the briefing, that means that technically 'any woman who undergoes an abortion without the permission of two doctors – for example by ordering pills online – can be prosecuted and receive a life sentence as her abortion takes place outside of the provisions of the Act'. This is not usually enforced, but the law seems to be getting stricter. Nicola Packer was only cleared of illegally terminating a pregnancy after taking abortion pills during Covid this month, for instance. She had used a registered provider and was covered by emergency lockdown rule changes that allowed people to order abortion pills online up to 10 weeks into their pregnancy (this stayed in place after the lockdown). Earlier this month, The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists 'welcomed' an amendment which is currently making its way through parliament and calls for abortion to be decriminalised. At the time, Dr Ranee Thakar, president of RCOG, said: 'Abortion that happens outside of the current law generally involves very vulnerable women – including those facing domestic abuse, mental health challenges or barriers to accessing NHS care. 'Yet alarmingly, prosecutions of women have been increasing in recent years.' Stating that abortion is a form of healthcare, Dr Thakar added: 'Parliamentarians now have an unmissable opportunity to decriminalise abortion, to ensure women can access abortion safely, confidentially and free from the threat of investigation and prosecution. 'We urge MPs to support this amendment to ensure that women and girls in England and Wales will have the same protections as their counterparts in countries such as Northern Ireland, France, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.' The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) has also been campaigning for abortion law reform. Spokesperson Katie Saxon said the recent police guidance change 'is the clearest sign yet that women cannot rely on the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, or the courts to protect them'. She added: 'The only way to stop this is to remove women from the criminal law on abortion.' Joeli Brearley, campaigner and founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, has now urged people to write to their MPs to ask them to support the amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill. 'This is not the time for caution,' she wrote on social media. 'We need to go hard or go home. Let's make sure the future of reproductive rights in this country is secure and that no woman who experiences pregnancy loss is ever investigated as a potential criminal.' On Sunday, Stella Creasy took to Instagram to 'beg' her followers to not 'ignore the warning signs that abortion access is under threat on our shores'. 'For the sake of the 250,000 women who have one every year here ask your MP to sign our cross party amendment and vote for it,' she said. 'We only have a few weeks to win this vital fight for our freedoms ... The stakes could not be higher but with your help and all our voices we can do this.' 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Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Abortion decriminalisation plans pushed by Labour MP
A Labour MP has launched a bid to decriminalise abortions, after campaigners revealed estimates that police have prosecuted more than 100 women under abortion laws in recent years. Abortion remains a criminal offence in England and Wales unless under strict circumstances - including taking place before 24 weeks into the pregnancy with the approval of two doctors - under a 164-year-old law. Tonia Antoniazzi, Labour MP for Gower, tabled an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill to decriminalise the process without "changing anything about provision of abortion care". Antoniazzi said the current situation was "unacceptable" and led to police prosecuting vulnerable women. Nearly 60 MPs from Labour, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Green Party and Plaid Cymru have put their names to Antoniazzi's amendment. MPs had been due to debate similar amendments last year, but Parliament was dissolved for the general election before this could take place. How do the UK's abortion laws compare? Buffer zones set to come in around abortion clinics Last year a BBC investigation found an unprecedented number of women are being investigated by police on suspicion of illegally ending a pregnancy. Some investigations followed natural pregnancy loss, the report by File on 4 found. Pregnancy loss is investigated only if credible evidence suggests a crime, according to the National Police Chiefs' Council. The issue was in the news again this week when Nicola Packer, 45, was cleared by a jury of "unlawfully administering" herself with abortion pills at home during a coronavirus lockdown in 2020. She had taken prescribed abortion medicine when she was around 26 weeks pregnant, beyond the legal limit of 10 weeks for taking such medication at home. She told jurors she did not realise she had been pregnant for more than 10 weeks. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) said Ms Packer's trial demonstrated "just how outdated and harmful" current abortion law was and called for reform. RCOG are among several royal medical colleges, charities and trade unions backing Antoniazzi's amendment. Records collected by the UK's largest abortion services have found at least 100 women have been investigated for having an abortion in the last five years. Of those, six have appeared in court according to data collected by British Pregnancy Advisory Group (Bpas), National Unplanned Pregnancy Advisory Service (NUPAS) and MSI abortion services. Antoniazzi said: "There is simply no world in which prosecuting a vulnerable woman who may have experienced a medical complication, miscarriage or stillbirth is the right course of action." She said her amendment, laid before Parliament on Tuesday, is "tightly drawn - not changing anything about provision of abortion care, the time limit, the right to conscientious objection or any other aspects of abortion law". She added: "I am confident that, when Parliament has the opportunity to vote on these proposals, my colleagues will agree that never again should a woman be prosecuted for ending her own pregnancy in England and Wales." The amendment follows repeated calls to repeal sections of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. Abortions were completely illegal under 19th Century law until it was modified by the 1967 Abortion Act, which initially allowed them to take place up to 28 weeks. This was reduced to 24 weeks in 1990. Abortions after 24 weeks are allowed only if: the woman's life is in danger there is a severe fetal abnormality the woman is at risk of grave physical and mental injury Since 2018, women in England have taken the second abortion pill at home, aligning the rules with Scotland and Wales. Though the same rules apply in Scotland, it has a distinct healthcare and legal system. Abortion laws are currently under review in Scotland following appeals from advocacy groups' to decriminalise the process. Abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland in 2019. Latest figures show there were 251,377 abortions recorded in England and Wales in 2022 - the highest number since the Abortion Act was introduced and an increase of 17% over the previous year. About 88% of recorded abortions took place before 10 weeks, after which the procedure must be carried out in an approved clinic or NHS hospital. Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to keep up with the inner workings of Westminster and beyond.
Business Mayor
12-05-2025
- Health
- Business Mayor
NHS scheme to prevent brain injuries in childbirth extended across England
An NHS programme to boost maternity safety and prevent brain injuries during childbirth is to be rolled out across England. The avoiding brain injuries in childbirth (ABC) programme is designed to help maternity staff better identify signs that a baby is in distress during labour so they can act quickly. It is also intended to help staff respond more effectively to obstetric emergencies, such as where the baby's head becomes lodged deep in the mother's pelvis during a caesarean birth. The government said the programme, which will begin from September and follows a pilot scheme in nine maternity units, would reduce the number of avoidable brain injuries during childbirth, helping to prevent lifelong conditions such as cerebral palsy. The health secretary, Wes Streeting, said: 'All expectant mothers giving birth in an NHS hospital should have peace of mind that they are in safe hands. This vital programme will give staff across the country the right tools and training to deliver better care to women and their babies, reducing the devastating impact of avoidable brain injuries.' The most recent data from the neonatal data analysis unit at Imperial College London shows that 2,490 babies had at least one episode of care for brain injury during or after birth in 2021, equating to 4.2 per 1,000 live births. The pilot scheme, which launched in October, was delivered by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and the Healthcare Improvement Studies Institute (This). Ranee Thakar, the RCOG president, said: 'The ABC programme supports multidisciplinary maternity teams to deliver safer, more personalised care. Hundreds of maternity staff, including obstetricians, midwives and anaesthesiologists, have been involved in developing and testing this quality improvement programme. 'We have heard what a difference it makes, supporting teams to work effectively together in time-sensitive and high-pressure situations. The RCOG is extremely proud to have been part of this fantastic collaboration.' The government said the programme should give clinicians more confidence to take swift action managing an emergency. The RCM chief executive, Gill Walton, said: 'The ABC programme has brought together all those involved in maternity care, offering practical solutions to some of the most acute clinical challenges. 'Crucially the ABC programme tools and training have been developed based on the voices of women, families and maternity staff. This has been the key to the success of the pilot programme. Equally, the will and drive of midwives and the wider multidisciplinary team to improve safety and outcomes for women and their families has been evident across the course of the training at the pilot sites.' The programme is expected to reduce inequalities in maternity outcomes across England so that most maternity units achieve outcomes comparable to the current highest-performing 20% of trusts. Prof Mary Dixon-Woods, the director of This, said the programme would reduce unwarranted variation. 'The pilot has shown that it's possible to train people effectively and efficiently,' she said. 'A national commitment to implement the programme at scale will be important in ensuring that the benefits are seen.'
The Guardian
11-05-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
NHS scheme to prevent brain injuries in childbirth extended across England
An NHS programme to boost maternity safety and prevent brain injuries during childbirth is to be rolled out across England. The avoiding brain injuries in childbirth (ABC) programme is designed to help maternity staff better identify signs that a baby is in distress during labour so they can act quickly. It is also intended to help staff respond more effectively to obstetric emergencies, such as where the baby's head becomes lodged deep in the mother's pelvis during a caesarean birth. The government said the programme, which will begin from September and follows a pilot scheme in nine maternity units, would reduce the number of avoidable brain injuries during childbirth, helping to prevent lifelong conditions such as cerebral palsy. The health secretary, Wes Streeting, said: 'All expectant mothers giving birth in an NHS hospital should have peace of mind that they are in safe hands. This vital programme will give staff across the country the right tools and training to deliver better care to women and their babies, reducing the devastating impact of avoidable brain injuries.' The most recent data from the neonatal data analysis unit at Imperial College London shows that 2,490 babies had at least one episode of care for brain injury during or after birth in 2021, equating to 4.2 per 1,000 live births. The pilot scheme, which launched in October, was delivered by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and the Healthcare Improvement Studies Institute (This). Ranee Thakar, the RCOG president, said: 'The ABC programme supports multidisciplinary maternity teams to deliver safer, more personalised care. Hundreds of maternity staff, including obstetricians, midwives and anaesthesiologists, have been involved in developing and testing this quality improvement programme. 'We have heard what a difference it makes, supporting teams to work effectively together in time-sensitive and high-pressure situations. The RCOG is extremely proud to have been part of this fantastic collaboration.' The government said the programme should give clinicians more confidence to take swift action managing an emergency. The RCM chief executive, Gill Walton, said: 'The ABC programme has brought together all those involved in maternity care, offering practical solutions to some of the most acute clinical challenges. 'Crucially the ABC programme tools and training have been developed based on the voices of women, families and maternity staff. This has been the key to the success of the pilot programme. Equally, the will and drive of midwives and the wider multidisciplinary team to improve safety and outcomes for women and their families has been evident across the course of the training at the pilot sites.' The programme is expected to reduce inequalities in maternity outcomes across England so that most maternity units achieve outcomes comparable to the current highest-performing 20% of trusts. Prof Mary Dixon-Woods, the director of This, said the programme would reduce unwarranted variation. 'The pilot has shown that it's possible to train people effectively and efficiently,' she said. 'A national commitment to implement the programme at scale will be important in ensuring that the benefits are seen.'
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Woman in BDSM relationship with married couple cleared of illegal abortion
A woman who was in a BDSM relationship with a married couple has been cleared of illegally aborting her baby. Nicola Packer, 45, broke down in tears after a jury acquitted her of 'unlawfully administering to herself a poison or other noxious thing' with the 'intent to procure a miscarriage'. The not-guilty verdict prompted calls for a change in the law. Ms Packer's trial at Isleworth Crown Court heard that she took abortion medicine at home in November 2020 and later brought the foetus to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in a backpack. She took prescribed medications mifepristone and misoprostol when she was around 26 weeks pregnant, jurors were told. The legal limit for taking medication at home for an abortion is 10 weeks. Prosecutors alleged that Ms Packer knew she had been pregnant for more than 10 weeks, which she denied. Ms Packer had been in a BDSM relationship with a husband and wife, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, the trial was told. All three had been in the BDSM 'scene' and lived together periodically from when the UK went into lockdown in March 2020, the court heard. Ms Packer was supported by five people in the public gallery, with some hugging each other after the verdict was read to the court. Giving evidence during her trial, Ms Packer spoke of her 'shock' and 'surprise' at being pregnant. She later broke down in tears as she told the jury of nine women and three men: 'If I had known I was that far along, I wouldn't have done it. 'I wouldn't have put the baby or myself through it.' The outer limit for abortions in the UK is normally 24 weeks, though there are grounds where there are no limits throughout the 40-week gestation period. Ms Packer did not discover she was pregnant until she took a test on Nov 2, 2020, the court heard. She took abortion medication on Nov 6 and went to hospital the following day, having passed a foetus into the toilet, her trial was told. The jury heard Ms Packer spent the night of Nov 7 in hospital and was arrested by police the next day. Jurors deliberated for more than six hours to reach the unanimous verdict. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) said the trial showed 'just how outdated and harmful' current abortion law is as they backed calls for reform. An amendment could be published next week to the Crime and Policing Bill – by a group led by Labour MP Stella Creasy – to not only decriminalise abortion but to 'lock in' the right to terminate a pregnancy and protect those who help them. Ms Creasy said the law must be changed so that 'the right to choose is a human right', ensuring no repeat of 'such awful cases and victimisation of vulnerable women again'. Fellow Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, who went to the trial to lend her support, branded it 'completely unacceptable' that Ms Packer was 'forced to endure the indignity and turmoil of a trial'. She said: 'Nicola's experience, in her own words, includes being taken from her hospital bed to a police cell, denied timely access to essential medical care, and spending every penny she had on lawyers defending her case. 'This is utterly deplorable, and it is not justice. I do not see how this law can be defended any longer.' After the verdict was delivered, Judge Martin Edmunds KC thanked jurors for their attention in the case and said Ms Packer was formally discharged. 'This was an old case, relating to events during 2020, in the Covid pandemic,' Judge Edmunds said. 'It is the prosecution, the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service] who make decisions about whether to pursue criminal cases. They do so through guidelines which they have to apply... one of which is the public interest.' The Crown Prosecution Service said that its prosecutors are cautious when considering 'traumatic cases' like the trial of Nicola Packer. A CPS spokesman said: 'Our prosecutors exercise the greatest care when considering complex and traumatic cases such as this one. 'The role of the Crown Prosecution Service in this case was not to decide whether Nicola Packer's actions were right or wrong; but to make a factual judgement about whether she knew she was beyond the legal limit when she procured an abortion. 'Prosecutors considered there was enough evidence to bring this case for a court to decide, and we respect the jury's decision.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
