In Scotland it is legal to have an abortion during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, as long as certain criteria are met.
Abortion treatments must be carried out in a hospital or a place approved by Scottish Government Ministers, and two doctors must agree that an abortion would cause less risk to a woman's physical or mental health (or that of her children) than continuing with the pregnancy.
Individual NHS health boards are generally the port of call for women looking to get an abortion, with Glasgow City having a rate of 15 in every 1,000 women having had an abortion according to a report by Public Health Scotland.
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There are three main ways to get an abortion on the NHS:
- you can self-refer by contacting an abortion provider directly – the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), MSI Reproductive Choices UK, the National Unplanned Pregnancy Advisory Service (NUPAS) or your local NHS sexual health website can tell you about eligibility and services in your area
- speak to a GP and ask for a referral to an abortion service – the GP should refer you to another doctor if he or she has any objections to abortion
- contact a sexual health clinic (sometimes called family planning or GUM (genitourinary medicine) clinics) and ask for a referral to an abortion service
Waiting times can vary by health board, but there shouldn't be more than a two week wait from when you first contact an abortion provider to having an abortion.
However, last month Lucy Grieve, the co-founder of Back Off Scotland, wrote an article for The Scotsman about her discovery that no health board in Scotland covers abortions up to the legal limit of 24 weeks. This means that women in Scotland are having to travel to England to access abortions.
Lucy wrote: "Since 2019, 170 Scottish women - including children under the age of 16 - have been sent across the border into England to have an abortion. This roughly equates to one Scottish woman every week that is having to make this journey to access healthcare that is legal in Scotland."
The NHS will pay the cost for those who need to travel to get an abortion, but many are not aware of this.
There are two options for those looking to get an abortion: the pregnancy is ended either by a medical abortion, which involves taking medication, or a surgical abortion, involving a small operation.
A medical abortion involves taking two different medicines, prescribed by the clinic or hospital, one or two days apart. Early medical abortions can usually be managed at home.
Surgical abortions involve an operation and are done under local or general anaesthetic or conscious sedation; where you're relaxed, but awake. Before a surgical abortion, you'll be asked to take a medicine to open the cervix. This happens either a few hours or one to two days before the operation, depending on which medication is used.
According to the Sandyford Clinic website, surgical abortions in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde are still suspended due to covid restrictions.
Your details will be kept confidential and if you're under 16, your parents do not usually need to be told. Health providers may encourage you to tell a parent, carer or other adult you trust, but they will not make you.
The NHS website warns against organisations, usually known as crisis pregnancy centres, that offer counselling around pregnancy. They do not refer people for abortion, and may not offer balanced or accurate advice.
For more information, visit the NHS inform page here.
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