SPUC has responded to a letter which states: “The Scottish Government is satisfied that taking mifepristone at home is safe.”

In April, John Deighan, CEO of SPUC Scotland, wrote a letter to Jeane Freeman, the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport, raising a number of concerns about the remote abortions policy. He urged the Scottish Government to reverse the approval allowing women to take both of the drugs required for a chemical abortion at home, without a physical consultation with a doctor.

On May 12, the civil servant Samantha Baker, who is responsible for abortion policy, replied on Ms Freeman’s behalf. She said: “The Scottish Government's view is that all women in Scotland should have access to clinically safe abortion services within the limits of the law” and insisted that taking both abortion drugs at home is safe. She also dismissed Mr Deighan’s concerns about the drugs being taken at the wrong gestation, and about coercion, detecting ectopic pregnancies, and complications.

Mr Deighan has now written again to the Health department following the horrific case of a baby aborted at home at 28 weeks. “News coverage in England, where a lower gestational limit is set for home abortions, illustrates the problem very well,” he writes.  “Several cases are now being investigated by abortion providers following a whistle-blower’s revelations and police are investigating a case of a baby at 28 weeks in pregnancy being aborted through the use of abortion drugs provided by post…such scenarios show it is impossible to safeguard against dishonesty or duress.”

Mr Deighan also challenged Ms Barker’s assertion that there are systems in place to detect coercion and domestic abuse. “You state that NHS staff will ensure they speak to a patient on their own but surely that necessitates a physical meeting to have any meaningful reliability to assess for gender-based violence or coercion.”

In reply to Ms Barker’s assurances that women with suspected ectopic pregnancy would be called in for a physical consultation, Mr Deighan said: “Ectopic pregnancy is initially pre-symptomatic and therefore physical examination is necessary to detect it. In addition, the low-sensitivity pregnancy test typically used three weeks after the termination will not pick up the ectopic pregnancy.”

Mr Deighan’s letter concludes: “I am sure that the government realises it is responsible for the consequences of its policies and in this instance, these are potentially grave. Can the government give assurances that the consequences are fully understood and are being evaluated to avoid the terrible situations unfolding in England? Also, can they confirm the steps that are being taken to prevent the misuse of abortion drugs that are being delivered by post?”

The Scottish Government has to date not made any comment on reports of later gestation abortions taking place in England via the remote abortions scheme, or provided any assurance that the same is not happening in Scotland.

SPUC has launched a national campaign calling on concerned citizens to contact their MP/MSP/MS to put pressure on the Government to tell the truth about DIY abortions.