70% of women wanting abortion to be treated by week nine of pregnancy

Published on Saturday 31 May 2008 19:59

WOMEN who want abortions will be guaranteed treatment within nine weeks of becoming pregnant under controversial new healthcare standards.

A report by sexual health experts has drawn up the new waiting-time policies amid Scotland's soaring abortion rates.

Under the rules, 70% of women who want abortions will undergo the procedure before they are nine weeks pregnant, in an attempt to cut waiting times. However, critics last night warned the move would send out the wrong message and called instead for better counselling for women with unintended pregnancies.

The report, 'Sexual Health Services Standards', by the NHS agency Quality Improvement Scotland, is aimed at improving Scotland's poor sexual health rates, and sets out minimum standards for patients using sexual health services.

Treatment times for abortions vary across Scotland.

Recent figures show that the worst performing area is NHS Lanarkshire, where only around half of women are treated within 10 weeks' gestation.

In the Highlands, a third of women wait longer than 10 weeks. In NHS Borders, just 20% of women wait longer than 10 weeks.

The report states: "The earlier a termination of pregnancy is performed, the lower the risk of complications.

"Services must, therefore, offer arrangements that minimise delay in providing a safe termination of pregnancy, whilst also allowing sufficient time to consider other options."

It adds that 70% of women should have the procedure performed under less than nine weeks' gestation.

In practice, this will mean that 70% of women will undergo the procedure within five weeks of their missed period. The report also states that all women having a termination should be offered contraceptives, such as the pill or implants. And it calls for post-abortion counselling to be made available for women who request it within four weeks. Scotland's abortion rate soared to a record 13,703 abortions last year – an average of 38 a day. A total of 372 cases were girls under 16.

The abortion rate was highest in NHS Tayside at 17.1 per 1,000 women aged 15-44, while the Island boards, Orkney, Shetland and Western Isles, had the lowest rates at 6.1 per 1,000 women.

The statistics emerged just days after Westminster voted to keep the upper legal limit for abortions at 24 weeks, disappointing campaigners who wanted to see a change in the law. Yesterday a spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland voiced concern at introducing waiting time standards for abortion services. He said: "There is a very real danger that this fast-tracking may lead to abortion being seen as a routine medical procedure.

"With our already sky-high abortion rates, this is a very dangerous and very unhelpful message to send out."