Experiences of Women Refused National Health Service Abortion

Experiences of Women Refused National Health Service Abortion

Out of 197 Wessex women undergoing a legal abortion at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) clinic at Brighton, 31 (15·7%) had already been refused a termination of pregnancy by at least one National Health Service doctor in Wessex. Almost all of these pregnancies were terminated for reason...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of biosocial science 1980-04, Vol.12 (2), p.201-210
Main Author: Ashton, John R.
Format: Article
Language:eng
Subjects:
Abortion, Legal - utilization
Abortion/Abortions
Adolescent
Adult
Attitude of Health Personnel
Female
Great Britain (see also Britain, England, UK)
Health/Healthy
Humans
Insurance Benefits - legislation & jurisprudence
Middle Aged
National/Nationalism/Nationalist/ Nationalists/ Nationalistic
Pregnancy
Service/Services
State Medicine
Woman/Women (see also Female)
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Summary:Out of 197 Wessex women undergoing a legal abortion at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) clinic at Brighton, 31 (15·7%) had already been refused a termination of pregnancy by at least one National Health Service doctor in Wessex. Almost all of these pregnancies were terminated for reasons covered by the social clause of the 1967 Abortion Act. The principal reasons given for refusal of termination were that the women had insufficient grounds for termination under the Abortion Act, or that they were too late. Some were given misleading information. Refusal of an operation may have led to one woman having a second trimester rather a first trimester procedure when she went to BPAS. Some of these patients reported medical consultations which they had found to be upsetting or hurtful. It is suggested that the interests both of women seeking abortion and of doctors opposed to abortion would be best served if the Health Authorities were to provide alternative referral pathways to special abortion facilities.
ISSN:0021-9320
1469-7599