Clwyd West MS Darren Millar has expressed grave concern at today’s announcement by the Welsh Government that temporary arrangements for abortions in Wales, introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic, are to be made permanent.  

In a Written Statement today (February 24th) Eluned Morgan, Minister for Health and Social Services, announced that the temporary arrangements introduced at the start of the pandemic, which enabled women and girls to take both pills for Early Medical Abortion (EMA) up to 9 weeks and 6 days gestation in their own homes, following a telephone or e-consultation with a clinician, without the need to first attend a hospital or clinic, are being made permanent in Wales.

The Minister states “This is a progressive step which demonstrates Welsh Government’s commitment to supporting women.”

However, Darren, who has been against the regulations even on a temporary basis, disagrees and believes it puts women at risk.

He said:

“There is nothing progressive about this decision. It will put women and girls at risk of harm to their health, and does nothing to protect them from being coerced into having an abortion. 

“It is common for women to suffer complications after medical abortions. The lack of supervision with the current arrangements and inability to accurately verify how many weeks of a pregancy have passed means that the number of women suffering complications post-abortion will likely increase significantly placing even more strain on our NHS and risking harm to their health. 

“There are also significant safeguarding issues that arise when a woman or girl is not seen in person by a medical professional when having an abortion. Having an opportunity to be seen alone to ensure that there is no coercion or abuse from a partner or other person forcing them to have an abortion against their will is essential.  

“This decision should be reviewed urgently and such a major change in abortion regulations ought to be determined by the Senedd as a whole after through scrutiny, not an individual Minister, no matter how well intended her decision may be."