Earlier this week the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists warned that increasing numbers of doctors are refusing to carry out abortions. Meanwhile, new research published yesterday gives a greater insight into the reasons why many women end up having a late abortion, despite efforts by the Department of Health to encourage women to have early terminations. One of the key findings is that some women simply do not realise they are pregnant until they are past 12 weeks. So will we soon be facing a serious shortage of doctors willing to perform abortions? Why is this happening? And what are the implications for those women who need late abortions? Miriam O’Reilly discusses this with Ellie Lee - senior lecturer in social policy at Kent University - who conducted the research into late abortions and Dr Kate Guthrie - a consultant in sexual and reproductive health in Hull and a spokesperson for the RCOG.
