I was pleased to see the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) acting to protect women from unnecessary legal investigation (Abortion prosecutions are never in the public interest, says royal college, 22 January). I was shocked to learn earlier this year that women were being referred by health professionals to the police, which makes a mockery of patient confidentiality. The General Medical Council has strict rules about confidentiality and it is reassuring that the RCOG has reminded doctors of this essential duty to their patients, and restated that there is no legal requirement to refer patients to the police in the UK (Telling health staff not to report women for suspected illegal abortions has firm legal basis, 22 January).
Although the number of women who decide to take matters into their own hands is small, these women often have difficult circumstances, such as controlling partners or psychological problems. The impact of legal interventions on these women is severe in some cases, preventing contact with existing children. Although people think that a person is innocent until proven guilty, this is not the experience of the majority of those women whose experiences have been reported to researchers.
Next month, an amendment to the justice bill is expected to be tabled that would take women out of the criminal sphere if they perform their own abortion. Let us hope that MPs vote to accept this change to the archaic 1861 Offences Against the Person Act. Please write to your MP now, asking them to support Diana Johnson’s amendment.
Wendy Savage
President, Doctors for Choice UK; emeritus professor, Queen Mary University of London
