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What exactly is abortion?
Abortion is a process that ends a pregnancy.
There are two types of abortion: spontaneous abortion and induced abortion.
Spontaneous abortion is a natural process resulting in the loss of a pregnancy. This is more commonly known as miscarriage.
Induced abortion is a medical or surgical procedure that is undertaken with the intention of ending a pregnancy. Induced abortion is commonly known as termination of pregnancy.
All information about ‘abortion’ on this website refers specifically to induced abortion (termination of pregnancy).
How do I find out about abortion?
If you think you are pregnant, you need to seek medical help as soon as possible, whatever pregnancy option you think you may choose. This is because there are time limits for accessing abortion, and if you choose to continue with the pregnancy, you will need ante-natal care.
You can get medical help from:
- Your GP
- A Brook clinic (if you are under 25)
- A sexual health or family planning clinic (look them up in the phone book)
- An independent clinic, such as bpas (formerly British Pregnancy Advisory Service) or Marie Stopes
- The fpa helpline (0845 310 1334) will be able to tell you where your local clinics are.
How is an abortion arranged?
There are a number of ways you can access abortion. In all cases, two doctors must agree that you meet the criteria set in the Abortion Act.
- Through a referral from your GP.
- Through a referral from a Brook clinic
- Through a referral from a family planning or sexual health clinic.
- Through a referral within an independent abortion provider, such as bpas or Marie Stopes.
Must my partner give his permission?
No. Your partner’s permission is not required for you to access abortion. Whilst many women want the involvement and support of their partners, for others this is not appropriate.
Must my parents give their permission?
Women under 16 may have an abortion, without parental involvement, if the doctor believes the young woman is mature enough to consent to the procedure she is requesting.
In most cases however, young women do choose to involve a parent or other responsible adult. Whilst many parents are initially shocked or upset for their daughter, most do offer their support.
Read more about confidentiality and parental involvement.
What sort of people have abortions?
Women of all ages and from all backgrounds access abortion, for a wide and complex range of reasons. Abortion is a common medical procedure - over 1 in 4 women by the age of 45 will decide to end a pregnancy.
How do abortions happen?
Abortion procedures change depending on the stage of pregnancy and the methods that are available in your area. The earlier you seek help the more straightforward the procedures are.
Read more about abortion methods.
What happens after the abortion?
How you feel after an abortion will depend on the circumstances of your abortion, the reasons for having it and on how comfortable you feel about your decision. You may feel relieved or sad, or a mixture of both.
After your abortion you should be offered:
- written information that tells you what you are likely to experience
a 24-hour telephone helpline number that you can ring if you develop pain, bleeding or a high temperature - the chance to discuss contraception and obtain supplies if you need them
a follow-up appointment within two weeks of your abortion (this is particularly important if you have an early medical abortion) - further counselling if you experience continuing distress (this happens to a minority of women and is usually related to personal circumstances)
You may be given antibiotics after an abortion. It is important that you follow carefully any advice to complete a course of medication after an abortion.
Can I arrange the abortion myself?
Whichever way you access abortion, you will need two doctors’ signatures approving the procedure. If you do not want to access abortion through the NHS, you can go directly to an independent provider, though you will have to pay for it.
Can I keep it secret?
You might be tempted to keep the pregnancy secret while you pluck up the courage to talk to your parents or partner, but it is important to get good medical care and advice from early on in pregnancy. As soon as possible, talk to a professional who can help you and will keep your conversation confidential (for more information see confidentiality).
You might want to continue with the pregnancy against the wishes of your family or partner. If you feel that you are at risk of harm within the home because of your decision, you need to contact someone who can help:
Childline, tel: 0800 1111 www.childline.org.uk/
Connexions tel: 080 800 13 2 19 www.connexions-direct.com
Should you decide to end the pregnancy, the decision to have an abortion is a matter between you and your healthcare team. All information and treatment is confidential. This means that information about you cannot be shared with anyone else without your agreement.
The hospital or clinic where you have an abortion is not required to inform your GP, but many abortion services do this so that the GP can provide appropriate care afterwards. They should only do this with your consent. If you do not want your GP to know, you should tell the staff providing your abortion care.
Making the decision
The decision you make about your pregnancy is very important and finding out information on all of your options will be essential in making up your mind about it.
Ignoring your pregnancy, or leaving your decision to the last minute, however, could mean that your options are limited.
Though the maximum legal time limit for abortion in the UK is 24 weeks, it is often difficult to access beyond 12 weeks of pregnancy. Many clinics therefore advise any woman considering abortion to start the referral process early - especially as there can be long delays between referral and the procedure itself - on the understanding that she can change her mind at any time.
Read more about pregnancy decision-making.
Sources of information and help
fpa helpline tel: 0845 310 1334 www.fpa.org.uk
Brook (for under 25s) tel: 0800 0185 023 www.brook.org.uk
bpas tel: 08457 304030 www.bpas.org.uk
Marie Stopes tel: 0845 300 8090 www.mariestopes.org.uk
Extracts reproduced from About Abortion Care: What you need to know, © Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists 2004
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