Healthcare workers in Northern Ireland have signed an open letter condemning DIY home abortion.

DIY home abortion was introduced in Britain in response to the nationwide lockdown caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. Under the DIY abortion scheme, women can get abortion drugs following a phone or video call, without a face to face consultation with a medical professional. The abortion pills are then sent through the post and women perform their own abortion at home with no medical supervision or support.

In an open letter to Northern Ireland’s Health Minister, Robin Swann, 277 healthcare workers expressed their opposition to the DIY abortion programme, calling it “unsafe and “unacceptable.”

The letter stated: “We find it sadly ironic that, at a time when the whole of society is constraining itself to prevent sickness and death for our at-risk friends and family, there is a push to expedite the ending of the lives of its most vulnerable member, the unborn child.

“We call on you to reject pressure from abortion advocates to legalise ‘at-home’ medical abortions outside of a clinical environment. Instead we urge you to increase and improve the medical, social, and financial supports available for women undergoing unplanned pregnancies.”

SPUC comment

An SPUC spokesperson said: “We commend the brave healthcare workers of Northern Ireland who have spoken out against this dangerous and violent programme.

“DIY home abortion provision is a travesty that should never have been introduced. Allowing women to take powerful drugs alone at home shows a complete lack of care and respect for women, as well as further devaluing the value of human life in the womb.”

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