Family planning clinics to offer abortion pill

Women are to be offered the abortion pill in family planning clinics for the first time, the Government announced yesterday.

The Department of Health said the move was aimed at giving faster access to terminations, but anti-abortion groups denounced it as dangerous and driven by a desire to cut costs.

Proponents of the RU486 pill, which can be taken up to nine weeks into a pregnancy, argue that it is safer and less harrowing than a traditional surgical termination. Tablets are given two days apart and combine to induce a miscarriage.

The department said so-called medical abortions, until now only available in hospitals, would be offered for a trial period in England and Wales in an effort to eliminate wide regional variations in waiting times.

A spokesman for the department said: "Using the medical abortion just means people do not have to have surgery. Currently 81 per cent have surgery. If they do not need to, it makes things quicker and less traumatic."

The spokesman said that patients would still be required to obtain approval from two doctors before they could go ahead. "It will still take place within the current legal framework. It is not the case that it will be on the high street. It's not about making access to abortions easier, it's about making the process faster."

But Josephine Quintavalle of the Pro-Life Alliance said the move was "irresponsible and short term". "You save a lot of money not using anaesthetics," she said. "It is quicker, easier and cheaper." The method could be dangerous for teenagers whose bodies were developing, she said.

Nuala Scarisbrick of Life, an anti-abortion charity, was also critical. "This dupes women into thinking it's as easy as going and having your hair colour changed," she said.

Anne Weyman, the chief executive of the Family Planning Association, said: "It is right that women have control over their fertility and the ability to make choices about their reproductive health. The Government is right to support them in this."

Michael Ancram, the Tory deputy leader, condemned the move as "socially damaging" and "morally questionable".

Evan Harris, the Liberal Democrats' health spokesman, said the party supported medical terminations provided they were safe and effective.