§ Alistair BurtTo ask the Secretary of State for Health when questions on conscientious objection to abortion referral and contraceptive provision to under 16s were included in local audits of general practice; whom his Department consulted beforehand; and if he will make a statement. [72231]
§ Ms BlearsBest Practice Guidance on the Provision of Effective Contraceptive and Advice Services for Young People was issued to local teenage pregnancy co-ordinators in 2000. The Guidance is a specific action point of the Government's teenage pregnancy strategy and sets out the criteria by which contraceptive advice services should be commissioned and provided. This includes the provision of confidential contraceptive advice to under 16s within the established legal framework, the provision of early pregnancy testing and non-judgmental advice and, where abortion is the agreed course, quick referral to National Health Service funded abortion 369W services in line with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists evidence based guideline The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion (2000).
In 2001 the teenage pregnancy unit provided an audit questionnaire for local areas to review community contraceptive services and general practice against the Best Practice Guidance, in order to identify gaps in provision and plan improvements. The majority of areas completed their general practice audits by March 2002.
The guidance and the audit questionnaire were developed in consultation with health professionals, including those representing general practice on the Government's independent advisory group on teenage pregnancy.
§ Alistair BurtTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if it is his policy to respect the conscientious objections of(a) doctors and (b) nurses to taking part in abortion operations; and if he will make a statement; [72241]
(2) what research his Department is undertaking into the conscientious objections of doctors taking part in abortion operations; and if he will make a statement. [72240]
§ Ms BlearsAs part of work to improve access to sexual health services for young people, the teenage pregnancy unit has carried out an audit of services currently provided by general practice. This audit will provide an indication of the proportion of general practitioners, nationally and regionally, who have a conscientious objection to abortion, but does not extend to doctors working in hospitals. An analysis of the information provided by the audit will be made available on the teenage pregnancy unit website by the end of this year.
If medical or nursing staff have strong ethical or moral objections to treatment for termination of pregnancy, it is right that they should not be obliged to participate in this treatment. Their conscientious objection should not be detrimental to their careers and appointments. The exemption for conscientious objection under the Abortion Act 1967, as amended, does not extend to performing the preparatory steps to arrange an abortion, including referral to another doctor if appropriate, where the request meets legal requirements.
§ Alistair BurtTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce legislation to enable a person born live but who was damaged during an abortion prior to 24 weeks gestation to secure compensation; and if he will make a statement. [72281]
§ Ms BlearsThe Government have no plans to legislate on this issue.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' guideline Termination of pregnancy for fetal abnormality in England, Wales and Scotland (1996) and letter Further issues relating to late abortion, fetal viability and registration of births and deaths (April 2001) state that for all terminations at gestational age of more than twenty-one weeks and six days, which is the threshold of viability, the method chosen should ensure that the fetus is born dead.
370WAll methods of first trimester abortion carry a low risk of failure to terminate the pregnancy, thus necessitating a further procedure. The Department is aware that a small number of women do decide to proceed with the pregnancy, after receiving advice on the possible effects of the treatment on the growing fetus. These women normally go on to deliver healthy babies.
§ Mr. GoodmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what research has been carried out to test possible harm to the(a) physical and (b) psychological health of women which may be caused by the RU486 pill. [71478]
§ Ms BlearsAll relevant evidence within the published literature has been reviewed in the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' evidence-based guidelineThe Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion (2000) and is referenced in the guideline. In general terms, the research shows no increased risk to the physical and psychological health of women having medical abortion compared to those having surgical abortion. Indeed, there appears to be a reduction in certain physical sequelae including infective sequelae.