Dr Eileen Reilly, a Scottish obstetrician/gynecologist has spoken out against DIY home abortions, calling the programme a “disservice to women” and reversal to “backstreet abortions.”

Pro-life organisation, March for Life UK, interviewed Dr Reilly, who is working in Scotland, to discuss her concerns about DIY abortion, in the light of the current consultations in England and Wales on whether this policy should be made permanent.

In the interview, Dr Reilly expressed concerns about DIY home abortions including the risk of coercion and medical complications.

Scarring women for a very long time

Dr Reilly said: “We do know of a case in our hospital where a woman held onto tablets for two months when she was 18-19 weeks pregnant and then delivered at home and that was quite a traumatic experience…

“We talk about backstreet abortions, it’s going back to that, going back to pushing abortion into the home, into unsafe areas, and it has been a disservice to women, the traumatic emotional effects of bleeding at home, on your own and it’s something that could scar women for a very long time.”

“This is not safe medicine”

Dr Reilly said: “The woman is not coming to the clinic so she will not be getting an ultrasound scan which is very important about confirming her dates. The scan will confirm the gestation, it will tell you whether it is an ectopic pregnancy, whether it’s a multiple pregnancy or the rare complication of a molar pregnancy.

“So I don’t see how a woman can consent to the procedure when she doesn’t know what’s going on inside her womb. If it was an ectopic pregnancy that’s something that could rupture and could result it catastrophic bleeding.

“Before home abortions…it wasn’t unusual to rush a patient up the stairs because she was bleeding very heavily and you can’t predict what cases that is going to happen in.

“It’s not safe medicine, we scan women for a reason.”

DIY home abortion makes it difficult to spot coercion

SPUC has been reporting on how home abortions could facilitate a serious form of domestic violence by giving abusive men the opportunity to coerce women into abortion and to cover their tracks.

According to a Savanta ComRes poll, 84% of the Scottish public are concerned that DIY home abortion could result in women being coerced into having an unwanted abortion.

Dr Reilly continued: “You are removing the consultation process…. Most women are emotionally upset but there could be an element of coercion there which is more difficult to spot over a telephone conversation or even telemedicine.

“Coercion affects 70-80% of women going for an abortion, its pretty common and is a reportable offence. A woman often will not volunteer [this information] unless she is asked specific questions.”

Make your voice heard

The Government’s consultation on whether DIY home abortions should be made permanent in England will close on 26 February and the consultation in Wales ends on 23 February.

SPUC is asking all pro-life people in England and Wales to make their voices heard and respond to this consultation.

Dr Reilly said: “If you care about women, this is something that should be heightened. They [the Government] need to know that women are already suffering from lack of care.”

You can find SPUC’s briefing on how to respond to the consultation in England here and the consultation in Wales here.