How Did the Pandemic Change the Process?

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The new model for most people, and you'd have your consultation with your doctor over the phone or by video call. You would either have the medications mailed to your home so you could take them there, or you could go and pick them up from the front desk of the clinic. Now it's a hybrid model, because for some people, they might be really, really unsure of how far along they are in their pregnancy. But for the majority of people, they did qualify for the remote tello medicine.

At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Great Britain brought in emergency legal orders to allow a ‘pills by post’ abortion service. For abortions within the first 10 weeks, women were able to take the two tablets needed to end a pregnancy in the privacy of their own home rather than having to take the first at a clinic or hospital. The scheme was due to be scrapped in September 2022, but last week MPs voted to keep it in England. Wales will also be making it permanent. Madeleine Finlay spoke to Dr Abigail Aiken about her study looking at the outcomes of self-managed medical abortions during the pandemic, the benefits of taking abortion pills at home, and whether ‘Plan C’ could ever become available in shops and pharmacies. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod