01 September 2021
Clare Murphy, Chief Executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), said:
“BPAS stands in solidarity with women and healthcare professionals in Texas as new legislation comes into effect today allowing people to sue abortion providers, or anyone who helped a woman access an abortion after six weeks. As an abortion provider in the UK, we know that clinicians working in abortion care do so because they care about the health, wellbeing, and rights of women, and it is appalling that a qualified healthcare professional could be sued for doing the right thing by their patient.
“Many women will only realise they are pregnant at around six weeks gestation, perhaps following a missed period, and this time limit effectively places a near-ban on abortion. This regressive step underlines the importance of the UK as a beacon for women’s reproductive rights and progressive reform, to send a clear message to the world that women’s access to safe, high quality abortion care should be non-negotiable.
“We strongly advocate for the rights of women to choose whether or not to continue a pregnancy, and to have access to safe, effective, and compassionate reproductive healthcare. BPAS stands in opposition to anti-choice legislation and pressure groups, and hope to see this decision reversed as soon as possible.”
ENDS
For more information, please email sam.leimanis@bpas.org or call 07570707134
About BPAS
BPAS is a charity which sees over 100,000 women a year for reproductive healthcare services including pregnancy counselling, abortion care, miscarriage management and contraception at clinics across Great Britain. It supports and advocates for reproductive choice. BPAS also runs the Centre for Reproductive Research and Communication, which seeks to develop and deliver a research agenda that furthers women’s access to evidence-based reproductive healthcare, driven by an understanding of women’s perspectives and needs. You can find out more here: https://www.bpas.org/get-involved/centre-for-reproductive-research-communication/
BPAS will be launching a not-for-profit fertility service in 2021 to provide ethical, evidence-based, person-centred care that supports patients. We intend to only charge what it costs to provide a safe, high-quality, and accessible service to patients who may be unable to access NHS-funded care.
