Periods, domestic abuse, and maternity care feature heavily in the government's priorities for women's healthcare in 2024. A series of measures – including the continued roll-out of women's health hubs, commissioning research into the impact of periods in the workplace, and introducing training to support victims of sexual and domestic abuse – were announced at the Women's Health Summit in central London last week.
The Women’s Health Strategy for England is the government's ten-year plan for improving the health and wellbeing of women and girls in England. Last week's summit featured speeches by Professor Dame Lesley Regan, the Women’s Health Ambassador for England; Maria Caulfield, the Minister for Women’s Health; and Victoria Atkins, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
Speaking at the summit, Atkins reflected on the strategy's success so far, saying, “We’re breaking historical barriers that prevent women from getting the care they need, building a greater understanding of women’s healthcare issues and ensuring their voices and choices are listened to.”
She continued, “We’ve made huge progress – enabling almost half a million women access to cheaper HRT, supporting women through the agony of pregnancy loss and opening new women’s health hubs – but I absolutely recognise there is more to do.”
Alice Pelton, the founder of the reproductive health platform The Lowdown, agrees that there is more for the Women's Health Strategy (WHS) to achieve. During an open Q&A at the summit, Pelton enquired about the apparent lack of policies for abortion access in the WHS, asking, “How can we really improve women's lives and livelihood without addressing this?”
In response, Professor Dame Lesley Regan, who chairs the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' task force on abortion, described the medical procedure as “a really crucial part of women's healthcare”, adding: “I know from practical experience working overseas that when it is difficult to access, or it's illegal, the problem does not go away. It goes underground. And as a result of that, girls and women die. So, there is still a significant percentage of girls and women in our world who die as a result of backstreet or unsafe abortion.”
Victoria Atkins added: “This is a vital medical service for women. My voting record tells it […] And I very much believe that every woman in the United Kingdom should have access to safe healthcare.”
Framing abortion as a “debate” harms us all.
Abortion is not directly referenced in the latest press release about the government's women's health priorities for 2024. It is explicitly mentioned in the official Women's Health Strategy on two occasions: first, in a diagram about women's health across different ages, and second, in a sub-section titled ‘Abortion services’. It reads:
“Under the Abortion Act 1967, women have access to safe, legal and regulated abortion services.
“The wellbeing and safety of women and girls accessing abortion services has been, and will continue to be, our first and foremost priority.
“We will set out our plans for sexual and reproductive health later this year, including ensuring women can continue to access robust and high-quality abortion services.”
Speaking to GLAMOUR, Alice Pelton described the references to abortion at the Women's Health Summit (and the strategy more widely) as disappointing. “We are so excited that we have a Women's Health Strategy, and support so many of the initiatives that are finally getting airtime, thanks to its launch in 2022. However, we were disappointed to see abortion lacking from the strategy.”
“How can we have a strategy to improve women's health without including and improving the experience of something one in three women go through?”
Pelton notes, “Given her voting record on abortion, I wanted to ask Maria Caulfield this question, but she, unfortunately, left the Women's Health Strategy summit before the open Q&A,” adding: “Removing or minimising the topic of abortion in the Women's Health Strategy only makes the stigma and divisiveness worse.”
Maria Caulfield's appointment as minister for women was met with division back in October 2022, largely due to her voting record and opinions on access to abortion services. Notably, in 2018, Caulfield called for a debate on reducing the 24-week time limit for women to receive legal abortions; she was previously an officer of the all-party parliamentary 'pro-life' group and voted against legalising abortion in Northern Ireland.
Georgina O’Reilly, associate director of communications and campaigns at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), also expressed disappointment over Caulfield's appointment. In a statement provided to GLAMOUR, she described the lack of abortion references in the Women's Health Strategy as a “sad reflection of a Minister for Women who actively opposes any change to our abortion laws,” adding that the omission “raises questions as to whether Maria Caulfield is truly committed to championing women’s rights, or whether she would prefer to keep abortion as a criminal offence, with a threat of life imprisonment.”
Caulfield has previously said on the matter: "I am entitled to a personal view on issues that are sensitive, such as abortion and have never hidden these."
Georgina O’Reilly, associate director of communications and campaigns at the BPAS, gave GLAMOUR a full statement:
“The fact that there is little more than a cursory nod to abortion care in this government’s Women’s Health Strategy is a sad reflection of a Minister for Women who actively opposes any change to our abortion laws.
As more and more women are being prosecuted for ending their pregnancies under an 1861 law which holds the most severe punishment for illegal abortion in the world – up to life imprisonment – our Minister for Women has actively campaigned against decriminalising abortion and implementing safe access zones.
There have been various commitments from the government to include abortion services in the sexual and reproductive health strategy against a background of rapidly rising abortion rates. Despite this being promised repeatedly over the last two years, it has yet to materialise.
Abortion services are being conveniently overlooked by a government that is choosing to turn a blind eye to the dozens of women who are facing lengthy police investigations, prosecutions and the threat of prison time for ending their pregnancies.
Abortion is healthcare. One in three women in the UK will have an abortion in their lifetime. Abortion belongs in the Women’s Health Strategy. Its omission raises questions as to whether Maria Caulfield is truly committed to championing women’s rights, or whether she would prefer to keep abortion as a criminal offence, with a threat of life imprisonment.”
GLAMOUR shared Alice Pelton and BPAS' statements about Maria Caulfield with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). We asked if there was any update on the “plans for sexual and reproductive health” mentioned in the 2023 strategy, as well as concerns about protecting the “pills-by-post” scheme, the criminalisation of late-stage abortions, and the delay in implementing buffer zone legislation.
On the pills-by-post scheme…
A government spokesperson said the DHSC is “working closely with NHS England, the Care Quality Commission and abortion providers to ensure that women have access to safe, regulated abortion services, including the option of taking early medical abortion pills at home.”
On the criminalisation of late-stage abortions…
A government spokesperson described abortion as an issue on which the government “adopts a neutral stance” and “allows members to vote according to their moral, ethical or religious beliefs.”
The spokesperson added, “The government has no plans to change the long-established law on abortion in England and Wales.”
The government's statement did not directly reference Maria Caulfield's appointment or the ongoing concern about the delay in implementing buffer zones.
Read the government's statement in full:
“As set out in our Women’s Health Strategy, we are committed to making sure that all women have access to safe and high-quality abortion services, and we are working with NHS England, the CQC and abortion providers to ensure this.
“We are also investing £25 million in women’s health hubs, so that women can get better access to care for essential services including contraception. Our initial aim is for there to be at least one women’s health hub within each local area.
“We have made contraception easier than ever to get hold of. The NHS England Pharmacy Contraception Service enables women to get contraception through their local pharmacy as opposed to their GP – saving women time and improving access.”
For more from Glamour UK's Lucy Morgan, follow her on Instagram @lucyalexxandra.
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