Women illegally taking abortion pills at home in England to avoid terminations on public transport

Women in England are illegally taking abortion pills at home to avoid having abortions on public transport.

The county's current law states that abortion pills must be taken in the clinic or hospital where they are provided. This can sometimes mean that the medicine can take effect while a woman is travelling. BBC reports that campaigners are hoping to change the law to allow women to take abortion pills at home. Both Wales and Scotland recently made it legal to do so. Women choosing to have early medical abortions with pills must take two kinds of tablets between 24 and 48 hours apart. However, many in England are opting to order illegal abortion pills online so they can take the medicines at home. The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) has called on the British government to legalise the home use of abortion pills. They said:

"This is staggering. 10k sets of abortion pills headed for British addresses seized by MHRA over last 3 years. "Women struggle to access lawful services. They risk prison as a result. We need home use. We need decriminalisation."

The UK's Department of Health has said they are "monitoring" the use of abortion pills in the home in Scotland. There has not been an increase in complications recorded since the law changed.