Editing Abortion in the United Kingdom (section)

=== Early medical abortion at home ===
In 2011, the [[BPAS]] lost a [[High Court of Justice|High Court]] bid to force the [[Secretary of State for Health|Health Secretary]] to allow women undertaking early medical abortions in England, Scotland and Wales to administer the second dose of drug treatment at home.<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Dyer | first1 = C. | doi = 10.1136/bmj.d1045 | title = Ruling prevents women taking second abortion pill at home | journal = BMJ | volume = 342 | pages = d1045 | year = 2011 | pmid = 21321014| s2cid = 37286809 }}</ref> However, this decision was later reversed in 2019, permitting women to take both pills at home up to 10 weeks gestation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-confirms-plans-to-approve-the-home-use-of-early-abortion-pills|title=Government confirms plans to approve the home-use of early abortion pills|website=GOV.UK}}</ref> The temporary changes were also linked to an increase in abortions during the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom|COVID-19 pandemic]]'s first year.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-06-11 |title=Abortions in England and Wales reach record high |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/11/abortions-in-england-and-wales-reach-record-high |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=The Guardian}}</ref> An evaluation of this service showed that it was safe and effective, with shorter waiting times, and preferred by those who had gone through it.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Glasier |first1=A |last2=Regan |first2=L |title=Induced abortion via telemedicine should become the norm: a commentary |journal=BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology |date=August 2021 |volume=128 |issue=9 |pages=1475–1476 |doi=10.1111/1471-0528.16740 |pmid=33982401 |url=https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-0528.16740. |issn=1470-0328|hdl=10044/1/89621 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

On 24 February 2022, the Department of Health announced that the "pills at home" scheme was going to be scrapped in England.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-02-24 |title=England abortion 'pills by post' scheme to be scrapped in September |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/24/england-abortion-pill-by-post-scheme-scrapped-september-change-law-covid-pandemic |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=The Guardian}}</ref> At the same time, Wales has announced that they intend to make the scheme permanent.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-02-24 |title=Early at-home abortions made permanent in Wales |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-60508114 |access-date=2022-02-28}}</ref> Before deciding whether or not to make the scheme permanent, all three countries in the United Kingdom held a public consultation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home use of both pills for early medical abortion (EMA) up to 10 weeks gestation: summary of consultation responses |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/home-use-of-both-pills-for-early-medical-abortion/outcome/home-use-of-both-pills-for-early-medical-abortion-ema-up-to-10-weeks-gestation-summary-of-consultation-responses |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=GOV.UK}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Early medical abortion at home - future arrangements: consultation analysis |url=http://www.gov.scot/publications/future-arrangements-early-medical-abortion-home-consultation-analysis/ |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=www.gov.scot}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Consultation outcome: Termination of pregnancy arrangements in Wales |url=https://gov.wales/termination-pregnancy-arrangements-wales |access-date=2022-04-11 |website=www.gov.wales|date=29 September 2021 }}</ref> MPs later voted to amend the [[Health and Care Act 2022|Health and Care Bill 2022]] to make the scheme permanent, allowing telemedical abortion care up to the tenth week of pregnancy.<ref name=":2" />

On 12 June 2023, a woman was sentenced to over two years in prison for inducing an abortion after the legal limit through the "pills by post" scheme by misleading the BPAS and falsely saying she was below the 10 week cutoff (she was believed to be 28 weeks pregnant at the time).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thomas |first1=Tobi |title=Outrage at jail sentence for woman who took abortion pills later than UK limit |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/12/woman-in-uk-jailed-for-28-months-over-taking-abortion-pills-after-legal-time-limit |access-date=20 July 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=12 June 2023}}</ref> This was later reduced to 14 months suspended sentence after being sent to the [[Court of Appeal (England and Wales)|Court of Appeal]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Woman who took abortion pills beyond UK limit to be released |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/7/18/uk-court-to-release-jailed-woman-who-obtained-abortion-pills |access-date=20 July 2023 |work=[[Al Jazeera Arabic|Al Jazeera]] |date=18 July 2023}}</ref> This led to a number of abortion-rights advocates, women's-rights groups, politicians and medics to call on the British government to reform its abortion laws.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Topping |first1=Alexandra |title=Judge's reduction of sentence for abortion shows how law must change, say campaigners |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/18/judges-reduction-of-sentence-for-abortion-shows-how-law-must-change-say-campaigners |access-date=20 July 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=18 July 2023}}</ref>