The Complications from Abortions (Annual Report) Bill, introduced by Lord Moylan, had its First Reading in the House of Lords on 3 September 2024.
The Bill would require the Department of Health and Social Care to issue an annual report on medical complications arising from abortions.
The proposed legislation follows a “one-time” report in November 2023, finding that such complications are much higher than abortion provider data suggests.
The proposed report would also include Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), as in the November 2023 data release.
Between 2017 and 2021, the reported HES abortion complication rate was over 2.6 times higher than the rate derived from the Abortion Notification System (ANS), which is based on forms submitted by abortion providers.
HES data, which includes details of hospital A&E admissions and outpatient appointments at English NHS hospitals, records abortion complications after discharge from an abortion facility.
Moreover, HES is more likely to report severe complications, serious enough to warrant hospital admission.
HES is also far more likely to list complications following an at-home DIY abortion, which accounted for 61% of abortions in England and Wales in 2022 (when both pills were taken at home).
SPUC comment
A SPUC spokesperson said: “It is a matter of national urgency that the true extent of abortion complications is reported accurately, especially when so many women now undertake DIY abortions at home without medical supervision.
“Safeguarding women’s health must be a priority. The lack of clarity in terms of the rate and seriousness of abortion complications is shocking – but not surprising since the pro-abortion lobby has consistently prioritised ideology over women’s safety and well-being.
“Government has a duty to protect its citizens, which includes safeguarding women’s health. To do this, it must have an accurate grasp of the health risks that its own policies carry. Failure to act on this is unacceptable.”
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