{"id":303855,"date":"2023-12-21T14:41:48","date_gmt":"2023-12-21T20:41:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=303855"},"modified":"2023-12-21T12:43:06","modified_gmt":"2023-12-21T18:43:06","slug":"government-skyrocketing-complication-chemical-abortion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/government-skyrocketing-complication-chemical-abortion\/","title":{"rendered":"UK government review finds skyrocketing complication rate for chemical abortion"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(Right to Life UK<\/a>) A Government review<\/a> has revealed that abortion complication rates for medical abortions at 20 weeks and over are 160 times higher than complication rates for medical abortions at 2 to 9 weeks gestation and that complication rates for DIY abortions are likely underreported.<\/p>\n

Using data from abortion providers upon which the annual abortion statistics for England and Wales are based, the review compared the abortion complication rate for medical abortions in England in 2021 by the gestational age of the unborn baby.<\/p>\n

The data showed that as the gestation of the unborn baby increases so does the complication rate for medical abortions. Specifically, the data revealed<\/a> that the complication rate for medical abortions taking place at 10 to 12 weeks compared to 2 to 9 weeks is 18.33 times higher. This complication rate increased to 110 times higher for abortions at 13 to 19 weeks and 160.33 times higher for abortions at 20 weeks and over when compared to medical abortions that occurred at 2 to 9 weeks.<\/p>\n

Complications after 20 weeks are 160 times higher<\/h3>\n

However, the data from 10 weeks or more is for medical abortions that took place in a clinical setting, since medical abortion outside of this setting is not legal after 10 weeks. The complication rate for women who perform their own medical abortion outside of a clinical setting at 10 weeks or beyond in a DIY home abortion, is likely to be far higher than the rates when women are receiving in-person medical supervision.<\/p>\n

The review also identified that abortion providers were not recording complications that happened after discharge or after the form on which they were recorded was sent to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). Abortion providers are required to submit a HSA4 form which contains any complications that occurred as a result of an abortion but only up to the point of discharge. However, in 2022, the year the review was undertaken, the OHID noted<\/a> that there was \u201cno evidence\u201d that abortion providers were informing the DHSC to ensure the data was updated when a woman informed the abortion provider about a complication that occurred after the form had been sent.<\/p>\n

According to the review, the most common abortion complications reported in the relevant data for 2021 were<\/a> haemorrhage (65.8%), sepsis (11.4%) and cervical tear (11.1%).<\/p>\n