by Alice Porter
THE number of ambulances being dispatched for incidents linked to at-home abortion pills has soared 64%, a GB News investigation can reveal.
New “pills-by-post” rules came into effect in March 2020 which allow women to receive two pills via telephone consultation with a specially trained nurse or doctor.
But a probe using Freedom of Information laws has found the pills have seen some of the country’s largest Ambulance Trusts responding to increased levels of call-outs.
One woman also told GB News how she was forced to take home abortion pills by a controlling partner.
According to data obtained by GB News, there were at least 380 call-outs in 2019, but this increased to 624 in 2020.
Some ambulance trusts have seen a DOUBLING in the number of calls and subsequent responses.
London Ambulance Service saw the number of call-outs go from 93 in 2019 before the pandemic to 150 in 2020, an increase of 61%. The ambulance dispatches rose even further in 2021 to 154
South Western Ambulance Service saw the number of call outs go from 33 in 2019 to 74 in 2020 – up by 124%.
South East Coast Ambulance Service saw 287 calls in 2019 – that increased to 386 in 2020, rising even further in 2021 – to 404.
One expert told GB News in a report screened today (TUESDAY) that the surge was most likely down to patients over-reacting to heavy bleeding that can happen when the pills are taken.
Ann Furedi, former Chief Executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, told GB News: “There are misconceptions about using the abortion pill that suggest it’s like a heavy period. When actually it isn’t, there’s a lot more bleeding. And a lot more pain than most people would ever experience with their period – unless people are really clear that what is happening and that’s normal, it’s easy to panic.
‘Many of those ambulances may have been called out to women who were in a heightened stage of anxiety, particularly during the pandemic’.
In March this year, the Commons was told since the change in the rules two years ago, 150,000 women have had abortions at home and MPs voted to retain the at-home service. Women still have the option of being seen in person if they choose.
But with face-to-face consultations no longer mandatory, there have been concerns raised over whether there is enough safeguarding for vulnerable women or children.
Kirsty Deakin, 37, from Solihull was forced by her boyfriend to order abortion pills over the phone during the first lockdown.
She told GB News: ‘I made the call to an abortion clinic sort of hoping they’d question my decision. Because I knew deep down, I didn’t want to do it. They didn’t even offer me a scan…I could have been anyone on the phone when I rang for the pills.’
Early medical abortions are meant to be carried out within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, but without it being mandatory for women to be scanned in person, concerns have been raised that some women have taken the medication beyond the 10-week limit.
The National Network of Designated Health Care Professionals have recorded cases of women taking abortion pills when they’re too far along in their pregnancy, resulting in a small number of aborted babies being born alive. As a result, a whistle-blower from one ambulance service told GB News that their ambulance trust has spent £7,000 on making special mannequins to train staff when confronted with this difficult situation.
However, the Department of Health and Social Care say, ‘doctors will also be required to certify in “good faith” that the gestation period is below 10 weeks for abortion pills prescribed from home and if one or both pills are taken at a woman’s home.”
Early at-home abortions will become a permanent option for pregnant people in England and Wales.
Minister for Public Health, Maggie Throup, told GB News: “The wellbeing and safety of women requiring access to abortion services is paramount. With these measures women will have more choice in how and where they access abortion services, while ensuring robust data is collected to ensure their continued safety.”
