Dr. Mary Favier:

I will address the complication rate issue. International evidence suggests that for nine weeks and under, one can expect that approximately 10% of women, one in ten, will need some sort of further support following a medical termination of pregnancy. That may be purely advice. This is again where the telephone service comes in. One might ask if there is too much bleeding and if one should do something, or there might be no bleeding at all and one might ask if that is significant, which it might be, since it might be a failed procedure and further input is needed. Of that 10%, approximately 10% will need to have further medical input and see a provider, either a doctor or a nurse. Of those, approximately 10% will need to go into secondary care to have something more done. That is how it roughly breaks down. The Deputy is correct that as one progresses through pregnancy, it becomes more common. Early is always best. With each week, there is a small percentage rise. We want to make sure that women are kept at the centre of it and that they get access to a procedure as early as possible, effectively as soon as they make contact, depending on the mandatory waiting period, so that we can keep the complication rate as low as possible. The further we go, the more the burden on secondary care and requirement of resources for it increases.

We generally try to avoid ultrasound scanning in post-termination scenarios in the very first early weeks because one cannot be sure what to do with the results. Access to it will be critical from a GP point of view where this service applies. In trying to keep the patient central, GPs would like to see a comprehensive contraception service provided and integrated. Our best goal is to reduce the rate of crisis pregnancies and we can only do that if we have universal access to contraception, not just universal access to termination of pregnancy.