Internet abortions: women turn to the web for help
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Women in countries where abortion is restricted are buying medication off the internet to induce abortion at home, the BBC reports today.
The medication is sold by an organisation called 'Women on Web' and it arrives in sealed packages, complete with full instructions and a doctor's signature. Only women who state that they are less than 9 weeks pregnant are allowed to buy it.
400 women who bought and used the medication were surveyed by the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and it was found that of those 400, nearly 11% had needed a surgical procedure after taking it, either because of excessive bleeding or because the drugs had not completed the termination.
In the UK earlier this year, MPs voted on British women's rights to an abortion, with many Conservatives voting for the time limit at which abortions are allowed to be brought down from 24 weeks of pregnancy to 22 weeks, 16 weeks, or even 12 weeks.
Pressure was put on MPs by pro-choice and pro-life campaigners alike (my MP sent me a very nice letter explaining that he agreed with me that abortions should be available up to 24 weeks) and thankfully the status quo prevalied. British women's rights to an abortion are safe, for now.
Not allowing abortion in a particular country is all very well, but this story just shows that women are needing to end pregnancies whether legislation exists to prevent it or not.
Shouldn't women (and their partners) have the right to determine theirs and their families' futures, everywhere?
The medication is sold by an organisation called 'Women on Web' and it arrives in sealed packages, complete with full instructions and a doctor's signature. Only women who state that they are less than 9 weeks pregnant are allowed to buy it.
400 women who bought and used the medication were surveyed by the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and it was found that of those 400, nearly 11% had needed a surgical procedure after taking it, either because of excessive bleeding or because the drugs had not completed the termination.
In the UK earlier this year, MPs voted on British women's rights to an abortion, with many Conservatives voting for the time limit at which abortions are allowed to be brought down from 24 weeks of pregnancy to 22 weeks, 16 weeks, or even 12 weeks.
Pressure was put on MPs by pro-choice and pro-life campaigners alike (my MP sent me a very nice letter explaining that he agreed with me that abortions should be available up to 24 weeks) and thankfully the status quo prevalied. British women's rights to an abortion are safe, for now.
Not allowing abortion in a particular country is all very well, but this story just shows that women are needing to end pregnancies whether legislation exists to prevent it or not.
Shouldn't women (and their partners) have the right to determine theirs and their families' futures, everywhere?
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